Resilience and the electricity system: a discussion paper

October 2024
This discussion paper contributes to a national conversation about electricity resilience. In Australia, current regulations do not require, incentivise or enable distribution networks to robustly plan for and respond to extreme weather events and other shocks. Without reform, electricity system resilience will only worsen as the climate changes.

The analysis in this paper draws on research conducted as part of the Southcoast Microgrid Reliability Feasibility (SμRF) project.

Electricity system resilience: A discussion paper

Distributed Energy Integration Program (DEIP)

The Distributed Energy Integration Program (DEIP) is a collaboration of government agencies, market authorities, industry and consumer associations working together to maximise the value of customers’ distributed energy resources (DER) for all energy users.

Find out more about DEIP.

Interoperability Steering Committee

Interoperability is the ability for different information technology systems, devices and software applications to enable two-way communication, use, and exchange of data accurately, effectively, and consistently. The DEIP Interoperability Steering Committee (ISC) supports the development and implementation of industry technical standards with a focus on interoperability capabilities to better enable the integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) into the Australian energy system.

Find out more about the ISC.

In August 2021 an implementation guide enabling technology systems, devices and software to “talk to each other” was officially released. The Common Smart Inverter Profile – Australia implementation guide for IEEE2030.5 (otherwise known as CSIP-AUS) is a set of guidelines for the management of DER in the electricity system. These guidelines enable interoperability, that is the ability of different informational technology systems, devices and software applications to engage in two-way communication. CSIP-AUS also includes a common understanding regarding what information will be shared, the format for the information and how it is to be used among network and system operators. 

The CSIP-AUS publication marks the culmination of over two years of collaboration and work between industry, R&D organisations and market and regulatory bodies including the Australian Energy Market Operator, ARENA, the Australian Energy Market Commission, the Australian Energy Regulator and the Australian National University, facilitated through DEIP. 

BSGIP team members involved in the ISC include Lachlan Blackhall, Chair, DEIP Interoperability Steering Committee (ISC), Tim Moore, Chair, DER Integration API (Application Programming Interface) Technical Working Group and subject matter expert for the DEIP ISC and Deborah Taylor, Secretariat role for both the DEIP ISC and the DER Integration API Technical Working Group. 

The ISC has produced several guides and reports to assist industry in supporting integration and interoperability of DER:

• CSIP-Aus Utility Server Test Procedures (Version 1.2 – consultation release)
• CSIP-AUS v1.1a
• CSIP-AUS Communications Client Test Procedures v1.0
• ISC Reference Architecture v1.0

Flexible Imports Working Group

In 2023 BSGIP’s Phillipa Watson and Laura Jones are leading a DEIP working group on Flexible Imports. The Working Group aims to develop a shared understanding of the concept of flexible imports. Whilst a concept still under exploration and development, it is an umbrella term that encompasses flexible management and control solutions for electricity demand. 

Flexible import solutions/processes are anticipated to mainly be applied to technologies that are proposed to be “flexible” or shiftable in time, such as electric vehicle charging but the concept could conceivably be applied more broadly. There is care being taken in relation to defining and then applying flexible import controls of electricity demand because flexible import controls could lead to distributional justice issues for energy consumers. This is because of the potential impact on customer energy practices and use, and the potential for flexible imports to interact with essential energy consumption for essential needs (for example maintaining healthy temperatures inside houses).

Laura and Phillipa will be collaborating with ARENA, Working Group members and further stakeholders to better understand how dynamic operating envelope-based flexible imports could apply to different consumers and specific use-cases (for example commercial-industrial, and electric vehicles (EVs) scenarios); and their likely social, economic, technical and regulatory effects.

This Working Group builds on the completed DEIP working group that defined parameters for Dynamic Operating Envelopes (DOE) and Flexible Exports. Flexible exports management covers exports from renewable energy generators (mainly solar) at business and domestic premises. BSGIP was a member of this DOE and exports working group. BSGIP has also run two major project to develop DOE solutions (the evolve project), and an evolution of these, called Shaped Operating Envelope (SOE) solutions (through the Converge project, which is ongoing).