Energy once was simple and now it’s complex … BUT it needn’t be
We’re talking new ‘energy’ here. That is distributed energy and specifically Consumer Energy Resources (CERs).
The reality is that with the rise of CERs, i.e. rooftop solar panels, batteries, and EVs, the tangled web that is our electricity system is getting more complex. There are lots of bits that need to be connected. They span lots of territory and engage lots of manufacturers supplying different operating equipment, with lots of installers trying to adjust to different specifications and rules from all the different distribution network service providers (DNSPs)!
And those ‘lots’ are continuing to increase, exponentially. So all these moving parts need some WD40 or a clever organisation able to facilitate interoperability and smooth the energy transition from the unidirectional energy flows of yesterday’s grid, to the tidal ebbs and flows of today’s and tomorrow’s grid.
The reality is that over the course of a day, houses and businesses with solar can shift from supplying power to their neighbourhoods in the middle of the day, to pulling power off the grid at night. To make sure the grid remains stable for everyone, all that green power flow needs to be coordinated.
That’s where SwitchDin comes in. We know and work with all the players nationally across Australia. Starting originally with South Australia’s Power Network (SAPN) and more recently, and most successfully, in a record 90 days from design sign off to OEMs onboarding in NSW with Endeavour Energy. Across the board, we know the critical moving parts and the players' needs and challenges.
However, in the recent Victorian example (See our commentary in Rooftop Solar Stability: Lessons from the Victorian Emergency Backstop — SwitchDin), things did not flow as smoothly as they could have for the players and, in particular, the end user.
Lessons Learned
The mistakes made in the Victorian roll out are informing all players, as NSW pushes towards the Spring 2025 deadline to meet AEMO’s timeline for its Emergency Solar Backstop. By understanding each major player’s role in Victoria and their needs, as we look to the rollout across the nation, we will better address and resolve what didn’t work for Victoria at that time.
In simple terms we have come to understand:
The role of DNSPs in ‘managing’ CERs and what they need and must rely on from technology suppliers, Operating Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and the installers, and specifically how all these new things must work together.
How the DNSPs and governments - both state and federal - can minimise the burden placed on OEMs and installers - the NSW portal is being set up to help manage this.
The role of OEMs in the energy transition and what is fair to place on their shoulders.
The tools and systems the installers need to ensure CERs are installed to the correct requirements so they can operate efficiently.
And critically - what all these players need in order to work seamlessly together to provide the customer, and so the nation, with the full benefits of their CERs.
The moving parts
DNSPs
As large quantities of CERs are deployed, energy flows become more and more tidal. This means the DNSPs need to be able to manage both the overall power needs and the fluctuating flows through their network. They must connect to the multiplicities of CERs and control their interaction with the network.
To ensure that CERs respond to the DNSP’s commands, each CER must also be certified to show that it can respond correctly to a comprehensive set of standardised instructions. The CER must also be installed and configured correctly to be able to do this. DNSPs need certainty. They need to rely on the CERs and know that the CERs they are managing are installed and can respond properly.
OEMs
There are more than 70 OEMs that are certified with the relevant protocol to supply behind the meter systems such as inverters or batteries. These devices must meet Australian and DNSP connection rules, and pass the various certification tests so they can be controlled by the DNSP. In addition device testing does need to be continuous to meet the firmware updates to the devices, as well as OEM comms systems involved in the connectivity.
Installers
In the past rooftop solar installation was fairly simple. With an increase in the controls mandated by DNSPs, installations have become far more complex and in many cases, time consuming. Rework has often been required. Installation, configuration and testing is very different between DNSPs. Which of course costs installers time and money.
Victorian example
In the recent Victorian emergency backstop roll out, the OEMs expected to have to do their connection/protocol certification once. But they were forced to do it several times as they adapted to the differences between DNSPs. This also cost them time and money, and caused negative blowback that eventually reached federal ministerial levels. The OEM and Installer challenges in Victoria may well have been avoided had DNSPs been able to coordinate and make things the same for the OEMs and installers in each jurisdiction.
By OEMs needing to modify their equipment to work with each unique DNSP implementation, millions of dollars were added to the cost of the rollout. It also has meant recalling installers to go back to the site and try to create work-arounds to make things function as they should.
Solution
By using the processes and systems developed by Australia’s Clean Energy Council and the South Australia Power Network (where OEMs and Installers are happy), SwitchDin is helping to coordinate common processes within a single installer interface for the DNSPs in NSW and the ACT. We are currently working with the NSW Government and some of the state’s large DNSPs as they start to connect OEMs. The standard took a couple of years to develop, and now 71 OEMs are certified. Given certification is a continuous process, with more than 40,000 discrete tests needing to be done each year, OEMs can now more easily test for new products and software updates.
And as mentioned earlier, with this solid experience developed initially with SAPN, we were able to assist NSW’s Endeavour Energy successfully deploy its Flexible Exports offer to its solar customers in record time!
Conclusion
A national common installation experience that gives installers one process to engage with, no matter where they are, is one of the best and simplest ways to help accelerate Australia’s distributed energy opportunity. It’s also possible that OEMs need only one certification that works with all 14 DNSPs Australia wide. The drive for efficiency and cost management is key for business. And inevitably, it costs much less to work to a single standard, in both time and money. Sooner rather than later this will also drive a commonality of process within the DNSPs and reduce their costs. A win:win for all energy consumers.
Together we can make the complex simpler.
Contact us for more information https://www.switchdin.com/contact
