This report shares the most significant social research findings from Project Converge documenting consumer understanding, expectations and views of Shaped Operating Envelopes (SOEs), contributing insights that support further development of SOEs and consumer centric considerations for scaling grid management solutions (both SOEs and DOEs).
Report extract
Distributed energy resources (DERs) are changing the way electricity is generated, managed, and consumed. Traditionally, electricity has been generated by big power plants, such as coal and gas power plants. Today, it is increasingly being generated by DERs located in millions of homes and businesses in Australia.
Project Converge aims to address the issues and enhance the advantages created by the increasing deployment of DERs, including rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs). These distribution network-connected assets can contribute to power system reliability through their participation in energy and ancillary service markets, such as frequency control ancillary service (FCAS) markets. However, without orchestration, DERs can also threaten the security of distribution networks.
To address this issue, Project Converge has developed and demonstrated new capabilities that we refer to as shaped operating envelopes (SOEs). SOEs allow DERs to provide network support services to reduce distribution network congestion while also allowing them to maximize their value in energy and FCAS markets. These SOE capabilities represent a next step beyond the capabilities being demonstrated by previous ARENA-funded projects [1–4] involving dynamic operating envelopes (DOEs).
This report presents the concluding social science findings of Project Converge, documenting consumer understanding, expectations and views of Shaped Operating Envelopes (SOEs), contributing insights that support further development and scale emerging grid management solutions (both SOEs and DOEs). Key takeaways underscore the role of examining household values to influence the design of SOEs and how SOEs are implemented to prevent values clashes becoming a barrier to SOE uptake.
