This DER Hosting Capacity Study explores work on improving network visibility and managing growing DER penetration.
Report extract
Distributed energy resources are challenging distribution networks
The rise of the ‘prosumer’ and distributed energy resources (DER).
A global energy transition is underway that supports a low-emissions future. This is in line with the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature change this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius. In the electricity sector, one aspect of this transition is the rise of the ‘prosumer’, a customer that both consumes and produces electricity. Prosumers use distributed energy resources (DER) — including rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, behind-the-meter batteries and electric vehicles (EVs) — to generate, consume and manage electricity at their premises. Electricity they do not consume may then be fed back into the grid.
Australia is already a global leader in rooftop PV installations. Currently, Australians have installed over 2.3 million rooftop PV systems, equating to around 23% of households1. CSIRO, the Australian Government’s scientific research agency, forecasts that over 40% of Australian customers will use on-site DER by 2027. This includes 29 gigawatts of PV and 34 gigawatt hours of behind-the-meter batteries.