A review is underway to investigate whether household energy technologies, or Consumer Energy Resources (CER) such as solar PV, battery storage systems and electric vehicles comply with mandatory technical standards put in place to help keep the power system stable.

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) today released a consultation paper outlining key focus areas for the self-initiated review, including the implementation of standard ‘AS4777.2:2020’, introduced by the AEMC in 2021.

The review will also look at evidence and impacts of non-compliance with the CER technical standards, as well as responsibilities for ensuring compliance of CER technical standards within the national energy market.

Making the integration of Customer Energy Resources (CERs) into the grid and into homes smoother is a key priority of the Energy Security Board’s (ESB) Post 2025 electricity market design.

As households and businesses continue to buy and install CER at record rates, the technical standards that define how the devices interact with each other, and the power system, are becoming increasingly important.

Securing the stability of the grid with specific inverter based technical standards helps to reduce cases of ‘tripping’, which can mean cost savings and greater certainty for both market participants and consumers.

The AEMC will now gather further information with a view to ensuring the right arrangements are in place to effectively implement CER technical standards and if necessary, introduce arrangements to promote compliance.

The AEMC is accepting stakeholder submissions in response to the consultation paper.

To read more about the review into CER technical standards, visit the project page.  

This review will complement the AEMC’s work plan to support the technical integration of CER in the NEM. For more on the work plan, see: https://www.aemc.gov.au/rule-changes/governance-distributed-energy-resources-technical-standards.

The review will also complement the Energy Security Board’s CER Implementation Plan. For more, see https://esb-post2025-market-design.aemc.gov.au/integration-of-distributed-energy-resources-der-and-flexible-demand#delivering-the-cer-implementation-plan.

Media contact here: Jessica Rich, 0459 918 964 or email us.