The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a $1.7 million funding boost for the University of New South Wales’ (UNSW) Project CICCADA on rooftop solar study.
Project CICCADA aimed at enhancing the integration of consumer energy resources (CER) into the National Energy Market (NEM).
Australia leads the world in rooftop solar installations, with approximately 40 per cent of freestanding homes equipped with solar systems.
As household battery and electric vehicle ownership surges, the proper integration of CER technologies into the electricity grid is crucial for achieving national renewable energy and emissions reduction targets.
ARENA’s acting CEO Chris Faris said CER technologies and products are at the heart of the clean energy transition, turning consumers into active participants in our energy system. But it is important we know how the rollout of these technologies work with the network.
“CER is about decentralising energy production by harnessing the power generated by rooftop solar panels, batteries and smart home devices. These create a more flexible and cleaner energy grid, that helps reduce emissions while improving energy reliability,” Faris said.
“We know that CER can contribute to the goal of a cleaner, more reliable grid, so it’s important to have a detailed understanding of all the impacts of CER integration.
Project CICCADA aims to help plug this knowledge gap, helping us understand how the rollout of CER technologies can be done in a way that maintains the stability of the energy grid, and allows us all to benefit from cleaner, reliable energy.”
Project CICCADA, valued at $4.3 million, will analyse large datasets from CER sources, such as rooftop solar, household batteries, and electric vehicles, to address integration challenges.
The project’s findings will provide valuable insights for the Australian Energy Market Operator and energy distributors, ensuring safe and efficient network operations.
Project lead Dr. Baran Yildiz, Senior Lecturer at UNSW said Australia’s clean, reliable and affordable energy transition is led by CER.
“We need ongoing evidence-based and data-driven research to improve our understanding of CER operations in real-world conditions,” he said.
“Project CICCADA will generate key insights on the effectiveness and implications of various network measures governing CER operations and build tools that will help to maximise benefits for society while maintaining and supporting network security.”
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