Rooftop Solar Stability: Lessons from the Victorian Emergency Backstop
The rooftop solar emergency backstop rollout in Victoria has led some to question whether it’s possible to operate a stable power network with connected CER. But that’s like questioning whether it’s possible for an AFL team from Queensland to win the grand final at the MCG: it’s all in the execution. One of the factors for success is system reliability.
A reliable system is one that just keeps working. It is robust against potential failures and resilient in the face of external forces. Reliable software systems form the backbone of many parts of modern life: the Internet and mobile networks, finance and banking, flight and space craft, and medical devices all rely on software systems with very high reliability.
Here at SwitchDin we have our own proof that software systems for managing CER - systems similar to those plaguing Victorian networks - can be reliable. In June 2023, we launched the first IEEE 2030.5 CSIP-AUS Utility Server into production. This service enables DNSPs to manage network stability and efficiency by sending controls and Dynamic Operating Envelopes to rooftop solar. CSIP-AUS is the same protocol mandated for emergency backstop.
Since going live in 2023, the SwitchDin system has achieved >99.995% uptime. That’s less than 40 minutes of outages, ever. It has achieved 100% uptime for the whole of 2024 until now, right through the Victorian emergency backstop period.
During this period we continually deployed new customer capabilities, and consistently applied cyber security improvements. At the same time, we scaled up. This system grew to be the largest CSIP-AUS deployment, and has served hundreds of billions of reliable transactions so far.
The problems faced in Victoria shouldn’t cause handwringing over rooftop solar and managing connected CER - but it should force a reset of expectations in light of alternatives with much greater demonstrated system reliability.
Chief Technology Officer - SwitchDin
