Building the software-defined grid [SEC 2022 roundup]

SwitchDin BDM for Equipment Manufacturers Josh McLaren at Supply Partner’s VPP Connect program launch at SEC2022

As our CEO Andrew Mears tells it, at SwitchDin's first Smart Energy Conference back in 2016 he was asked multiple times what a software company was doing at a clean energy conference.

Fast forward to the 2022 Smart Energy Conference & Exhibition, where our team left with the distinct feeling that Australia's energy industry has come around to the importance of software in the energy transition. Virtual power plants, flexible exports, data and security - these were all dominant themes in presentations and conversations across the event. Software is coming to define the way that our electricity infrastructure operates.

-Equipment manufacturers need smarter, software-based solutions to maintain their relevance in an electricity system where visibility, control, data, optimisation and security are showing themselves to be crucial. (It was great to see the Fronius Australia booth sporting one our Droplets and countless other integration partners on the exhibition hall floor.)

-Installers are feeling the need to offer more than 'just' rooftop solar - systems need to be smarter, deliver more value and generally stand out from the pack. Software solutions help to deliver all of these things. Supply Partners recognises this and in concert with SwitchDin has launched their new VPP Connect program for their customers. (Thanks to Lliam Ricketts and the SP team for having Josh McLaren and Joseph Kassouf along to talk about SwitchDin's vision and technology.)

-Energy retailers can likewise tap into distributed energy resources like solar, batteries, and EVs to differentiate themselves and play the spot market - but for this to happen, this equipment needs the smarts that only software can deliver. We're proud of our ongoing work with Simply Energy and other retailer partners to deliver new types of offers to their customers.

SwitchDin Product Manager Joseph Kassouf presenting about opportunities beyond Flexible Exports at the Power of Solar and Batteries on the Grid session at SEC2022.

-Network operators and integrated utilities are also facing pressures due to the shift to more distributed energy. In their case, network congestion due to solar and (looking forward) EVs is what's driving the change, but there are huge opportunities for efficiency and savings in there as well. Software gives the visibility and control capabilities they can't get otherwise. Thanks to James Brown and SA Power Networks who joined our very own Joseph Kassouf talking about Flexible Exports in the same session about solar & batteries on the grid - and what the future holds for them and their owners.

Incidentally, it's telling that a good portion of our team were unable to attend the conference due to the fact that they were travelling to Perth for work on Project Symphony with Western Power and Synergy. This project is a showcase of how data visibility and control will transform the way high-DER grids operate.

It seems our head start on the energy-in-software front is really paying off in the industry-leading work that we’re doing and the amazing partnerships that we’ve established.

2022 is already turning out to be a landmark year so far for SwitchDin. We're looking forward to what's next!