ARENA, network lobby join forces on renewables grid integration

Australia’s progress in integrating renewable energy into the national electricity grid is set to be monitored – and boosted – via a collaboration between the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Energy Networks Association (ENA).

ARENA and ENA said on Wednesday that the new partnership would provide a “one-stop-shop” of up to date renewable energy grid integration projects and findings for Australia.

ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the main goal of the collaboration was to address an existing information gap and build on important work ARENA had already undertaken.

“ARENA is today releasing a stocktake of 176 renewable energy grid integration projects from across Australia, worth more than $4 billion, including 60 key projects from overseas,” Frischknecht said.

He said that the ENA would deliver the first two updates to ARENA’s initial stocktake, with oversight from a cross-industry steering committee.

“Integrating renewables into the grid is one of the major challenges facing the energy sector and this stocktake is a vital step in helping advance this work, Frischknecht said.

“This stocktake of relevant studies, trials and demonstration projects will provide the basis for further work and get the most out of existing information and investment.

“It will serve to improve communication and collaboration between the electricity sector, network businesses, renewable energy companies, policy makers, regulators, governments and researchers.

“As well as being a valuable resource for the sector, the stocktake will help ARENA make better informed funding decisions about renewable energy grid intergration projects.

ENA CEO John Bradley said the ENA would provide updates in late 2014 and 2015, to ensure there is a continuing resource of up-to-date, publically available information for the whole sector to draw on.

“Housing the latest research, studies, findings and projects in one place will make it easier for the sector to address challenges and capitalise on opportunities involved in integrating renewables into the network,” Bradley said.

“The rapid increase in distributed renewable energy is upending the traditional supply system and driving an increasing need to revisit the energy network, which was originally designed for one-way delivery.

“There are real and tangible benefits and opportunites to be gained from integrating renewables into the network, and network businesses have already facilitated the installation of more than 1.2 million roof top solar panels in Australia.