ARENA/SAPN Announce Flexible Solar Exports Trial

A project seeking to help integrate more rooftop solar into Australia’s grid and increase export limits is about to kick off.

In some parts of Australia solar owners are unable to export surplus electricity they generate, or only a fraction of it, due to network constraints resulting from very high adoption of PV systems. Excessive levels of exported solar energy may only occur during certain times of the day, but these export limits apply all day.

While installing solar panels can still make sense for zero-export homes, the situation not only adversely affects some existing solar owners; it  can also be a barrier to further uptake of PV.

An ARENA supported SA Power Networks led trial will see flexible connection technology enable solar power systems to automatically adjust export limits based on network conditions.

The 12- month Flexible Exports field trial will involve 600 rooftop solar customers in South Australia and Victoria. In Victoria, SA Power Networks will partner with AusNet Services; which will lead the trial in that state. Also involved are solar inverter manufacturers Fronius, SMA and SolarEdge, and energy management firm SwitchDin.

We’ve mentioned SwitchDin here on SQ a few times in the past. Last year the company was chosen by Horizon Power  to provide special controllers to accommodate high levels of small-scale solar and batteries in Western Australia’s Onslow region. The Secure Gateway Devices’ (SGDs) are called “Droplets”, and among other functions provide feed-in management.

“To date, we’ve integrated with close to three dozen inverter and battery brands to provide a ‘universal translation’ and enable easy communications at scale for network operators,” said SwitchDin CEO Dr Andrew Mears.

SwitchDin also recently announced it has been listed as a compatible technology solution with SA Power Networks’ Relevant Agent service in relation to the recently introduced “remote disconnect” requirements, and that its solution is available with no subscription costs for end users (further info here).

The Flexible Exports trial will involve participants’ smart inverters automatically adjusting electricity exported every 5 minutes to match the available capacity of the grid. Exports will only be curtailed at times when the network is constrained, rather than a permanent limitation such as is currently the case in affected areas.

$2 Million From ARENA

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is stumping up $2.09 million in funding to SA Power Networks for the $4.84 million trial Flexible Exports project.

“This trial builds on ARENA’s efforts to encourage and support innovation in enabling technologies and in new ways of managing distributed energy to allow Australian families and businesses to confidently adopt clean energy technologies,” said ARENA CEO Darren Miller.

SAPN Really Getting Its Solar Game On

SA Power Networks has a target of enabling double the amount of solar power capacity it can accommodate on its network by 2025.

“We are looking at smart solutions, rather than expensive network capacity investment, to help make it happen,” said SA Power Networks General Manager Strategy and Transformation, Mark Vincent.

Flexible grid connection is just one approach SAPN is taking – SQ’s Ronald discussed flexible exports and optimizing network voltages in more detail recently.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/flexible-solar-exports-mb1707/