RACE for 2030 CRC - Opportunity Assessment: N4 DSO and Beyond: Optimising, planning and regulation for DM & DER [21174]

Project Member(s): Dwyer, S., Cantley-Smith, R., White, S., Briggs, C., Roche, D., Khalilpour, K.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Race for 2030 Limited (Race for 2030 Limited CRC)
Race for 2030 Limited (Race for 2030 Limited CRC)

Start year: 2022

Summary: The global electricity system is rapidly decarbonising and decentralising. This decentralisation is driven by the rise of “Distributed Energy Resources” (DERs). The Australian Energy Market Commission defines DERs as: “small-scale unit of power generation or storage that operates from homes and businesses and is connected to a larger power grid at the distribution level. … The name is also given to increasingly common technological devices that help monitor and manage power consumption or generation either for a home or a business.” A prominent definition of DER in the US is: “a resource sited close to customers that can provide all or some of their immediate electric and power needs and can also be used by the system to either reduce demand (such as energy efficiency) or provide supply to satisfy the energy, capacity, or ancillary service needs of the distribution grid.” For the purposes of this study, DER encompasses both of the above definitions and includes distributed generation, in particular rooftop solar PV, distributed battery storage, vehicle-to-grid electric vehicles, thermal storage and load flexibility. In this research theme, we are concerned with the relationship between DER and the electricity distribution network. Consequently, this theme also involves electricity Demand Management (DM), where electric utilities offer incentives and price signals to encourage consumers to modify their level and pattern of electricity use. DM includes utility efforts to support customer load management and increased energy efficiency. DM can be a powerful tool for utilities to influence how much DER is adopted and how it is used. If effectively applied, DM can lead to lower costs for customers and utilities, greater reliability, lower carbon emissions and and higher investment returns for utility shareholders.

FOR Codes: Expanding knowledge in law and legal studies, ENERGY, LAW AND LEGAL STUDIES, Mining, energy and natural resources law, Electrical energy transmission, networks and systems

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