Customers have led the way in our transition to net zero through investment in their own assets.
Whether it’s to manage their electricity costs, make a contribution to tackling climate change, or both, Australia has the fastest uptake of solar panel investment in the world and that is set to continue.
Today, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) released its forward plan for its next phase of work on technical standards for distributed energy resources (DER) as part of its final rule determination on the governance of DER technical standards.
To ensure the regulatory framework continues to keep pace with the development of DER technical standards now and into the future, the Commission is committed to reviewing the need for new DER technical standards in the national electricity market (NEM), as well as assessing current requirements are already in place.
AEMC Chair, Anna Collyer, said a key aspect of this review will be considering the ability of DER devices to deliver benefits to consumers as well as the NEM.
“With the continued growth of DER, including rooftop solar systems and small-scale batteries installations, the grid is increasingly supporting two-way power flows back and forth from consumers,” Ms Collyer said.
“We believe the future energy system is one where customers’ energy resources will feature highly.
“We want to ensure the system works for all customers, and customers will have choices about how they get the most value out of their investments. In all our work in this area it’s critical we start with the customer perspective, so the performance of their assets and the system will meet their needs.”
This means the NEM requires technical standards for DER, which are critical to maintaining its security and reliability and minimising negative impacts for the benefit of all electricity consumers. For example, some technical standards ensure rooftop solar systems and batteries which can withstand sharp changes in voltage and don't automatically switch off.
The final rule determination is to make no rule on the basis that no new rules were required to enable the AEMC to act as sought by stakeholders.
Ms Collyer said today's final rule determination allows for a review process that leverages our powers to be flexible in order to respond to the changing needs of customers as they evolve.
This review is complementary to the ESB’s current work on interoperability standards and fits within the broader DER Implementation Roadmap.
This determination was made in response to a rule change request made by Energy Security Board Chair Dr Kerry Schott AO in her former capacity as Chair of the Energy Security Board.
Media inquiries: Jessica Rich, media@aemc.gov.au or 0459 918 964