About Us
Our Innovation Portfolio
The grid has a critical central role in facilitating energy flows in the future energy mix and providing customers with greater choice and control of their energy use.
Our Innovation Portfolio
Ausgrid has an important role to play in encouraging customers to invest in renewable technologies and developing the grid for the energy mix of the future. As part of the AER’s Demand Management Innovation Allowance, we’re trialling innovative ways of managing our customers’ electricity demand to utilise existing network assets better. Learnings from programs will assist in reducing electricity bills for our customers.
Through these initiatives and with the guidance of our Network Innovation Advisory Committee (NIAC) we are playing our part in implementing the Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap developed by Energy Networks Australia and CSIRO.
Community Batteries
Trial Duration 5 years (2019-2024)Trial Locations Cameron Park, Bankstown, Beacon Hill
Status In Progress
Ausgrid is currently working with Northern Beaches Council, Canterbury Bankstown Council and Lake Macquarie City Council as part of the Community Battery Trial. Community batteries could also offer a flexible alternative to traditional poles and wires investment and can reduce peak demand, helping distributors like Ausgrid place downward pressure on energy prices.
➜ Trial information
Standalone Power Systems Trial
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Trial Duration 5 years (2021 – 2026)
Trial Locations Hunter and Upper Hunter Valley
Status In Progress
➜ Trial information
STATCOM Low Voltage Regulator Trial
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Trial Duration 4 years (2020-2024)
Trial Locations Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney.
Status In Progress
Ausgrid is trialling a total of 18 STATCOM low voltage (LV) regulators to better manage voltage fluctuations on Ausgrid’s LV network and improve our ability to host customer energy resources such as rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles.
➜ Trial information
Project Evolve
Trial Duration 3 years (2019-2022)
Trial Locations Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney
Status Complete
The project will allow customers to make the most of investments in solar and batteries and in the future, electric vehicles, without networks needing to impose restrictions. It is a step towards unlocking the electricity superhighway which will allow customers to access new opportunities to generate, store, share, and trade their energy, to benefit themselves and their communities.
Project Edith
Trial Duration 2 years (2022-2024)
Trial Locations Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney
Status In Progress
Project Edith is an initiative that aims to showcase how the grid can facilitate technology and green energy solutions (like Virtual Power Plants (VPPs)) to participate in energy markets while staying within distribution network capacity limits.
Smart Meter Data Trial
Trial Duration 3 years (2021-2024)
Trial Locations All of network area
Status In Progress
Ausgrid is trialling the acquisition of smart meter data to increase network visibility and monitoring of our low voltage network. Combined with advanced analytics this system will identify emerging safety risks and help optimise the operation of the network to reduce costs and improve capacity to support customer energy resources like solar, batteries and electric vehicles.
Pole Mounted Battery Trial
Trial Duration 3 years (2022-2025)
Trial Locations Maitland, Newcastle and Central Coast
Status In Progress
Our pole mounted battery trial is designed to test the viability of small pole-top batteries to support the network during heavy demand or high solar export. This will complement our larger community battery program by developing our understanding of the benefits, and technical challenges, of deployment of small scale batteries in overhead network areas.
Distribution Monitoring & Control
Trial Duration 5 years (2019-2024)
Trial Locations Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney
Status In Progress
Our distribution monitoring & control program comprises a range of initiatives to increase visibility and control on our low voltage (230V) and high voltage (11kV) networks. This includes upgrading existing monitoring devices to include control capability, retro-fit of new monitoring and control technology on substations undergoing refurbishment, and in key substations currently without adequate visibility of network performance.
Microgrid Trial
Trial Duration (2022-2025+)
Trial Locations Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney
Status In Progress
We’re proposing to trial innovative technology in Merriwa to deliver a more responsive, resilient and reliable power supply.
We're investing in a microgrid trial as part of our commitment to supporting local people and communities during planned and unplanned outages.
Contact Voltage Detection Trial
Trial Duration (2022)
Trial Locations Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney
Status In Progress
Ausgrid is utilising a specialist provider to survey our network area for asset safety risks and emerging defects on underground cables. This technology uses highly sensitive electromagnetic field detectors to identify electrical hazards from energised objects, often caused by latent defects. Once a defect or hazard is identified our field crews can attend and rectify. This two month pilot will assess a significant proportion of our underground and streetlight networks for emerging defects or safety hazards.
Travelling Wave Relay Trial
Trial Duration 2 years (2021-2023)
Trial Locations Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney
Status In Progress
Ausgrid is collaborating with Endeavour Energy to trial a new type of protection which can detect not only the presence of faults, but also their precise location, and also potential indications of emerging defects. The unit has been installed on a 66kV feeder in Ausgrid’s network and is currently undergoing evaluation to determine suitability for a broader roll-out.