Our customers’ desire for a cleaner energy future has resulted in one of the largest uptakes of rooftop solar in Australia. During the day, all that solar provides abundant, low-cost energy for all consumers. But on occasions when demand for energy is low, this abundance can create imbalances in the electricity network.
To manage the risk of these events, the Victorian Government is requiring CitiPower and Powercor to develop new ways to manage exports and generation from rooftop solar systems.
This capability, known as an emergency backstop, is being introduced in two stages. Stage 1 was activated in October 2023 for systems larger than 200kVA. Stage 2 will apply on our networks from 1 October 2024 and cover systems up to 200kVA.
This will help us to provide a secure, reliable supply of energy to all customers and allow more renewable energy to connect to the network.
This will help us to provide a secure, reliable supply of energy to all customers and allow more renewable energy to connect to the network.
From 1 October 2024, new and upgrading solar customers are required to install a system that allows solar exports to be remotely reduced or stopped (known as curtailment) if there is an excess of energy in the network.
The changes only apply to customers installing, upgrading or replacing solar systems (with capacity of 200kVA or less) from 1 October. Existing solar customers are not be affected unless they upgrade their current system.
We can now activate technology (known as an emergency backstop) to remotely reduce or stop exports from solar systems if there is excess energy in the network. This requires new solar customers to install an internet-connected solar inverter and provide a stable internet connection.
The capability to reduce solar exports will only be used under direction from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) when there are imbalances in the network. In these rare events, we will initially reduce solar exports so customers can continue to self-consume the electricity they generate. If the grid is still not secure, we may turn off solar generation, but only ever as a last resort.
For more information on how we may respond see our minimum system load event web page.
Meeting the new government requirements has resulted in changes to the processes that customers, solar installers and equipment manufacturers follow. For specific information visit our Rooftop Solar and Solar Installer Resources web pages, and see the frequently asked questions below.
The Victorian Government now requires electricity distribution businesses to be able to remotely reduce or stop exports from new rooftop solar connections. To comply with the government’s requirements, we have developed technology that changes the way solar customers are connected to our networks.
The changes help to manage rare occasions when solar generation is high and demand for energy is low, which can result in supply interruptions across the power network. This ensures we can provide a reliable, stable supply of power to all customers and connect more renewable energy to the network.
The change only applies to new solar inverters (with a capacity of less than 200kW) connected to systems after 1 October 2024. This includes newly installed solar systems, upgraded systems and some existing systems that have a replacement inverter installed.
Yes, there are some changes to the way rooftop solar is installed and configured. Solar installers now must ensure:
See our Solar Installer Resources page for information and resources.
Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar on Monday 9 September. You can view the webinar below.
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