The Australian energy market is uniquely poised for massive changes in its production, according to the Clean Energy Council's Chief Executive David Green.

"We are facing an imminent need to 'rethink energy' to keep prices low and improve our energy productivity – particularly at peak times," Mr Green said.

"A unique set of complex challenges are currently facing our energy market, and we must act soon to meet these challenges by empowering consumers and businesses to take control of their energy use."

Speaking at the Australian Summer Study on Energy Efficiency and Decentralised Energy in Sydney, Mr Green outlined the clean energy industry's vision for smarter, cleaner power networks that allow energy to be generated by multiple sources, and individuals and communities to generate their own power.

"Allowing households to generate their own electricity through things like rooftop solar panels has already been shown to alleviate the impact of peak demand in many states, reducing the need for costly infrastructure upgrades," Mr Green said.

"Energy storage and smart appliances can also make a significant difference to peak demand. A simple measure like automatic air-conditioner cycling, where your air-conditioner is routinely switched off remotely to cut power usage without affecting the temperature, has been shown to reduce its energy use by 25 to 33 per cent.

"Clean energy has a strong role to play both in giving consumers a way to generate their own power and also keeping the costs of energy as low as possible.

"Science, society and economics all say that change in our energy market is necessary to slow the rapidly rising price of electricity and ensure we have a safe, stable and secure source of energy well into the future."