Brisbane firm to trial new tech to manage grid voltages and boost solar penetration

Brisbane company eleXsys Energy will evaluate its innovative solution to managing grid stability in low voltage areas, potentially boosting the amount of rooftop solar connected to the grid.

The Queensland company has developed an innovative device with the ability to regulate voltages within low-voltage parts of the grid, improving power quality within grids with high solar penetration.

eleXsys will trial its voltage control technology across five locations in the Queensland grid, with three devices installed within the Energy Queensland network, an additional device installed at a behind-the-meter premises, and another to be used for testing at a real-time simulator facility operated by Energy Queensland in Cairns.

The $1.92 million trial has been supported with just over $450,000 in grant funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, with the trial’s findings set to be published publicly. The company had previously received a $3.5 million federal government grant to support the construction of a manufacturing facility for its devices.

Problems caused by voltage variations can often work to limit the amount of rooftop solar capacity that may be installed in some parts of the grid – seeing some customers denied the opportunity to install solar altogether. Those with solar can also face curtailment of their rooftop solar output as network companies manage grid stability.

EleXsys says its technology – which deploys a mix of software and hardware solutions – can support the increased use of power produced by distributed energy resources, like rooftop solar capacity, and support higher numbers of electric vehicles connecting to the grid.

The company’s device does this by dynamically regulating the amount of ‘reactive’ power within the grid, allowing the grid to maintain stability and potentially avoiding the need for costly network upgrades.

The system was deployed by Ikea to manage the microgrid at one of its Adelaide stores, which receives around 70 per cent of its electricity from onsite solar and storage.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said that the potential of the eleXsys technology to increase rooftop solar installations and support increased distributed electricity generation would become increasingly important as uptake of renewables grows.

“To help increase the amount of distributed energy we can have on Australia’s energy network, it’s vital that ARENA supports these new technologies such as the eleXsys which not only help to connect more home solar and batteries, but also helps to avoid expensive network augmentation works to support increased demand,” Miller said.

“ARENA is excited to be supporting eleXsys Energy’s trial of the eleXsys device. After a successful trial in south-east Queensland, we could see the technology installed across the grid to save costs for users while also enabling more distributed renewals to be connected to the grid.”

Assistant minister for energy and emissions reduction, Tim Wilson, said that the technology could eventually be deployed across all low-voltage networks in Australia.

“The devices will be trialled on the Energy Queensland network for now, but the technology could be applicable to any low voltage area in Australia,” Wilson said.

“eleXsys Energy has employed dedicated personnel with deep experience to deliver the project. This funding will help eleXsys Energy continue to engage industry partners and support local jobs in Queensland.”

CEO of eleXsys Energy, Dr Bevan Holcombe, said the support for the trial should allow the company to demonstrate how increased use of rooftop solar can be supported through innovation.

“ARENA’s support and that of Energy Queensland are critical to demonstrating applications of eleXsys in the residential DER market and how existing distribution grids can be supported to host much more exported solar energy than is typically the case in Australia today,” Holcombe said.