The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has launched a trial, Project EDGE, in partnership with AusNet Services and Mondo, with financial support from Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
The trial offers eligible residents in north-east Victoria an off-market platform to trade electricity and grid services from their distributed energy resources (DER), such as rooftop solar and batteries, similar to large-scale participants in the National Electricity Market (NEM).
AEMO Executive General Manager, Emerging Markets and Services, Violette Mouchaileh, said that the trial will help develop a world-first two-way market, whereby aggregated services from consumers’ energy resources are bought and sold to improve electricity reliability, security and affordability for consumers.
“AEMO is working with the industry to design and test a world-first, two-way energy system and sophisticated market for consumers to participate in the NEM,” Ms Mouchaileh said.
“Our trial with AusNet Service and Mondo, and financial support from ARENA, will facilitate the trading of aggregated electricity services from energy devices in people’s homes and businesses in north-east Victoria.
“The trials forms part of AEMO’s DER Program to enable a smooth transition from a one-way energy supply chain, to a world-leading system that maximises the value of DER for all consumers through effectively integrating DER into the NEM power system and markets,” she said.
The project will also focus on developing out the roles and responsibilities of market participants including distributed network service providers (DNSPs), such as AusNet Services, and aggregators, such as Mondo, that engage in power system markets on consumers’ behalf. Over time it is the aim of the project to engage with additional networks and aggregators.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said this landmark trial would provide the blueprint for integrating DER into the grid.
“This trial will help to develop trading mechanisms to maximise the economic benefits to customers and the system and minimise the costs of supply to all energy customers. We look forward to the project developing a marketplace for the services these technologies can provide, and paving the way for widespread adoption by other distribution networks across Australia,” he said.
AusNet Services Executive GM of Growth and Future Networks, Chad Hymas, said: “Australians have clearly embraced rooftop solar and have a growing appetite for DER. This trial aims to demonstrate how they can have even more choice when it comes to energy for our homes and businesses”
“The AusNet Services and Mondo teams are excited to be using our locally developed energy management technology to demonstrate how a future energy market can support fully realising the financial and environmental benefits of all our energy resources,” he said.
For further information, click here to download the fact sheet or visit AEMO’s website. To register your interest to participate in the program visit www.mondo.com.au/EDGE.
To find out more about the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Program, complete the DER eLearning module in the National Electricity Market (NEM) Overview eLearning course. Enrol in the NEM Overview eLearning course via the AEMO Learning Academy.