SwitchDin submission to the ACT Government's Consultation on an Integrated Energy Plan

The Barr Government is developing an Integrated Energy Plan to electrify the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and help Canberrans transition away from fossil fuel gas.

The Government will encourage Canberrans to invest in consumer energy resources (CER) like rooftop solar and batteries and can help reduce costs by ensuring the new investments are efficiently integrated. Efficient integration means that CER must be capable of communicating and responding to instructions from the ACT’s distribution network operator, Evoenergy.

Already, inverters connecting in South Australia must be able to communicate and respond to network managers. Victorian networks are expected to adopt similar grid connection rules in early 2024.

SwitchDin urges the Barr Government and Evoenergy to require that all inverters connecting to the ACT grid must be capable of responding to signals from the network operator. Delay will increase the risk of unnecessary costs as Canberra transitions towards a net zero emissions city. 

The ACT Government should set a timetable for industry to install inverters that are capable of communication and interaction with signals from the market and the distribution network.

Allowing the continued installation of obsolete inverters will exacerbate future challenges of managing the ACT’s distribution network while allowing continued clean energy investment.

Read our full submission and recommendations to the ACT Government here: