Network Operators

Manage the Unmanageable

There has perhaps never been a more challenging time for electricity network operators, who are faced with a chaotic convergence of circumstances. The enormous influx of distributed energy resources paired with the effects of climate change are impacting grid stability.

Around the world, energy service providers and operators are under pressure to identify new, economic solutions to maintain grid stability whilst continuing to invest in network infrastructure, without increasing energy prices. In addition, stakeholder expectations are sometimes at odds with what’s required to ensure the power system can reliably meet demand at all times. 

For energy networks, one critical enabler sits above all else. Collaboration.

Here’s why.

To stabilise grids, you need people.

Let’s face the facts head on. People have endured decades of rising power prices, market monopolies and what’s been dubbed ‘network gold plating’. These are the drivers behind Australia’s stunning uptake of rooftop solar.

The last thing people want now, is to relinquish the control they’ve waited so long for and paid good money for. End users are running away from control, not towards it.

Thing is, this deeply entrenched sentiment is counter-productive to what network operators need to achieve grid stability.

But what if networks could engage with energy consumers on their own terms, working in with their household system, so that the end user retains ultimate control whilst playing nice with the grid?

This takes more than tech, it takes trust. 

SwitchDin is a 100% retailer-independent, technology-agnostic platform designed with the end user’s needs at its core. And it’s this reputation that allows us to Bridge the GapsTM from the network all the way down to the end user, providing the visibility and interoperability needed to turn discord into harmony.

A responsive, intuitive grid. Today.

The technology required to support the modern, high performance grid of tomorrow is available right here, right now. 

SwitchDin is a technology-agnostic solution provider that unlocks flexibility and enables network services for DNSPs.

Structured in line with IEC 61850 and with a vast landscape of integrations, StormCloud already provides best-in-market interoperability.

From solar curtailment and dynamic operating envelopes, to demand response management, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) EV management and community batteries and market participation. 

We’ve got you covered.

Microgrids with Maximum Flexibility

Microgrids offer not only enhanced grid stability, but also a smarter alternative to ‘zero export’ and system size limitation measures that could be enacted in response to the massive popularity of solar PV in Australia. 

Critical to the streamlined functioning of any microgrid is a robust management platform to integrate distributed energy resources with the utility’s native control systems.

Secure, simple, low risk and vendor agnostic, Droplets connect to everything, including solar inverters, battery storage systems and DREDs, allowing the smooth integration and operation of distributed energy resources in microgrids.

Securing the Edge

The shift to a decentralised energy system carries enormous implications for system security, in terms of its susceptibility to malicious cyber attacks. This risk increases with scale as the number of distributed energy resources, and the very fact they are distributed, opens up multiple exposure fronts.

At present, neither the National Electricity Market Rules nor Law detail any minimum mandatory cyber security practices for Australia’s energy sector. Instead, the onus is on industry players to determine the adequacy of their cyber security infrastructure for themselves, using the industry framework for self assessment developed by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO): the Australian Energy Sector Cyber Security Framework (AESCSF).

With the right level of prioritisation from DER hardware and software providers, distributed resources can be a force for bolstering the grid’s physical reliability rather than exposing it to risk. Edge computing will be a standardising force in the new distributed energy paradigm.

At SwitchDin, security is not an afterthought, but rather it is foundational to our work. We are certified and IEEE compliant, providing secure access to behind-the-meter assets utilising ASD level classification for encryption. We are helping to secure the grid edge at site-level and in the cloud by providing secure data collection, encryption and storage.