The Western Australian Department of Energy and Economic Diversification sought feedback on seven proposals relating to connecting rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicle (EV) chargers to the grid.
Climateworks Centre supports the direction of the proposed reforms.
Better network visibility, simpler connection processes and more coordinated integration of these technologies would give Western Australia the data foundation it needs for a demand-flexibility and load-forecasting framework that feeds directly into energy system planning, market design and private investment decisions.
Guiding principles
Four principles run through our recommendations: nationally consistent technical standards, greater transparency in the distribution network, open and non-discriminatory access to data, and new requirements that fit inside existing connection and market processes rather than adding fresh red tape.
Summary of recommendations
The submission responds to all seven proposals in the issues paper.
Proposals five and seven, both concerning Western Power’s publication of network capacity information, are addressed together in recommendation five below.
- A national standard for inverters. CSIP-AUS, the technical standard governing how solar and battery inverters communicate with the network, is on track to become a national requirement, and Western Power already uses it for virtual power plants (VPPs). We support extending it to inverters up to 30 kVA. Two-way control of behind-the-meter assets like batteries and EV chargers can lower energy costs for the households and businesses that install them.
- Clear data responsibility for Western Power. Formalising Western Power’s role as Distribution System Operator (DSO), backed by transparent ring-fencing rules, would give all market participants open, non-discriminatory visibility into the network. That supports fair competition, rather than leaving an advantage to whoever already holds the data.
- Light-touch reporting for EV chargers. Level 2 charge point operators could face modest reporting obligations, enough to improve demand forecasting without adding a compliance burden that discourages installation.
- One pathway for commercial connections. Connections under 1,000 V should follow a standard process instead of a custom assessment. That removes a source of delay and cost that currently slows business decarbonisation projects.
- Better network capacity data. Western Power’s Network Capacity Mapping Tool could show low-voltage constraints in more detail, alongside a published data roadmap for recruiting VPPs. Together, these give investors and network planners a clearer picture of where capacity exists now and where it’s likely to open up.
- Two-way data standards for VPPs. Open standards for exchanging data with virtual power plants would let network operators see what’s happening in real time during periods of grid stress, and open the door to new flexible products for customers.
More detail can be found in our submission [PDF 0.2mb].