About the WA DER Program
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AEMO’s WA DER Program supports the integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER), also known as Consumer Energy Resources – such as rooftop solar PV, batteries, EVs and controllable loads – into the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) whilst maintaining and supporting the security and reliability of the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). |
Western Australia’s energy transition
Western Australia has one of the highest levels of installed roof top solar in the world with about 40 per cent of households having roof top solar installed in the SWIS. During daylight hours, with clear sky conditions, combined roof top solar generation is often the largest generator with over 2 gigawatt (GW) of grid-connected roof top solar installed.
While roof top solar presents new opportunities for transforming the grid into a lower carbon, decentralised, two-way power system, it also creates operational challenges such as minimum operational demand that may threaten the secure and reliable operation of the power system.
In April 2020, the WA Government published the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Roadmap which sets out key actions required to manage the energy transition as a major pillar in its Energy Transformation Strategy. The DER Roadmap outlines the path to transitioning to a future where DER is integral to a safe, reliable, and efficient electricity system, and where the full capabilities of DER can provide benefits and value to all customers. Delivering these actions requires a collaborative approach and AEMO is engaging with the WA government, Western Power, Synergy, other Market Participants and industry to implement our key priorities under the Roadmap.
AEMO’s WA DER Program is designed to manage all aspects of the integration of DER into the WEM and SWIS and coordinates the delivery of AEMO’s contribution to the DER Roadmap’s objectives.
Key projects
Project Jupiter
In January 2025 the Australian Government announced Project Jupiter, an innovative $108 million Distributed Energy Resources (DER) project designed to accelerate the integration of residential solar, home and community batteries into Western Australia’s main electricity system through Virtual Power Plants (VPPs).
Project Symphony
Project Symphony was an exciting and innovative pilot in Western Australia where consumer Distributed Energy Resources or DERs such as rooftop solar, batteries, and other major appliances were orchestrated as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) to participate in a future energy market, unlocking greater economic and environmental benefits for customers and the wider community. The pilot ran from July 2021 to February 2024.
Technology Integration
AEMO is uplifting its foundational capabilities to be able to forecast, plan and operate a secure and reliable system with high levels of DER penetration. This workstream include developing and applying tools to better understand DER behaviour and applying outcomes to uplift system security parameters such as under-frequency load shedding, system restart and enhanced DER performance.
A key milestone has been working closely with Energy Policy WA and partners on the implementation of Emergency Solar Management following the scheme’s commencement in February 2022. Work continue with monitoring the capacity of controllable devices that responds correctly when signalled to be managed and enhancing the processes between the partners to manage this as efficiently as possible and only as a last report to keep the power system secure.
Another ongoing piece of work is to better understand the risks of poor compliance rates for DER equipment DER Standards and Connections for AS/NZS4777.2, as poor compliance poses new and increasing risks to the power system that AEMO has to manage operationally (for example by failing to ride-through faults as expected).
WA DER Register
Accessing a high confidence data set is critical for AEMO to be able to better understand the operational characteristics of the power system and to make efficient operational decisions. The data set for installed DER comes from reliable sources embedded in the DER connection process (such as network operators who are responsible for approving DER connections).
In April 2024, AEMO expanded its DER Register to adapt to the increasingly diverse forms of DER including roof top solar, batteries and controllable loads such as electric vehicles.
Engaging with stakeholders
AEMO hosts the quarterly WA DER Market Participation Forum to share knowledge of the work being undertaken to deliver key actions from the DER Roadmap. We are using this forum and related email distribution list to enable effective consultation and information sharing with current and prospective market participants and other stakeholders impacted by DER integration.