Inverter Manufacturers Hit Back On QLD Emergency Backstop

Several major solar inverter manufacturers have expressed their concerns over Queensland’s plans to introduce a very blunt tool to manage some new solar and battery systems remotely.

QLD Government owned Energy Queensland is planning to introduce a safeguard for its electricity system called the Emergency Backstop Mechanism. It involves a requirement for new and replacement rooftop solar and battery storage systems of 10kW or greater capacity to be fitted with a bit of kit called a generation signalling device (GSD).

This could affect many new installations once introduced as 10kW solar systems (and larger) are becoming increasingly common in the state.

Connected to the inverter, the GSD will enable Ergon Energy and Energex to remotely switch off systems as a last resort in emergency situations; such as when mains grid demand is so low it threatens system security and could result in state-wide blackouts in a worst-case scenario. When the threat has passed, another signal will (hopefully) switch these systems back on.  The GSD devices rely on old- school Audio Frequency Load Control (AFLC) technology.

It was originally intended the GSD requirement would come into play this month after a (very short) industry consultation period that ended in early October. But at this stage the requirement has been pushed back until 6 February 2023; meaning it will apply to systems installed/replace from that point.

“Costly And Archaic” Hardware Solution

Among the submissions during the consultation period was one made on behalf of the Intellihub Group and inverter manufacturers SMA, Fronius, Goodwe, Enphase and Growatt, and Greensync.

While acknowledging the need for an emergency backstop mechanism for use as a last resort, the companies state GSD is not the way to go.

For starters, there’s the cost side of things. While the GSD devices cost around $70 wholesale, that doesn’t include installation. And it’s the installation where costs really add up due to the fiddling and farting about required. Intellihub’s submission estimates the total cost to the installer to meet the requirements will be a minimum of $300 and up to $1,000 where additional configuration is required. This cost will of course be passed on to the end consumer.

Another issue is supply of the GSD. It’s a device that can only be purchased from a single supplier and this creates risks of monopoly pricing – the cost of the gadget could potentially increase, and perhaps significantly. A single source of supply also means in a situation where supply is interrupted, it will delay the connection of new solar power and battery systems.

The submission also expresses concerns about how much power Energex and Ergon will have in implementation of the emergency backstop, with little or no regulatory oversight in place at this point.

The companies have pointed to South Australia and Western Australia as examples of how emergency backstop disconnection and reconnection should be approached; with both states allowing multiple technology solutions and sufficient oversight.

While the GSD hardware solution is a simple on/off switch, inverter manufacturers have been investing in secure software solutions that also enable advanced features such as flexible solar exports.

Basically, the GSD is unnecessary.

“Instead of prescribing the specific equipment that must be used to implement the emergency backstop, a best practice regulatory regime would specify the outcomes that must be achieved,” states the submission.

The Intellihub et. al. submission can be viewed in full here. Earlier, we reported on AGL’s submission that expressed a number of concerns about the emergency backstop mechanism as proposed. As for the Clean Energy Council’s submission – which also contains a bunch of concerns – it can be found here.

The GSD approach as proposed is really appearing to be a half-baked one.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/qld-emergency-backstop-submission-mb2708/