AEMO – CER Data Exchange Industry Co-Design

Summary

Need

AEMO’s 2024 Draft Integrated System Plan (ISP) step change scenario forecasts that by 2050 consumer energy resources (CER) in the National Electricity Market (NEM) could reach 86 GW of rooftop solar and 27 GW of flexible demand response from consumer batteries and virtual power plants. However, the Draft 2024 ISP also identifies the risk that CER are not adequately integrated into grid operations.  

AEMO and state and federal governments also recognise that CER coordination and integration is not on track to meet the state and federal 2030 targets for decarbonisation of the electricity system, with only a small proportion of CERs registered, visible and able to be coordinated. These observations align with international experience, which shows that an uncoordinated approach to CER integration will create costly integration and coordination challenges in the future. 

The CER Data Exchange will allow multiple industry organisations to share CER related information through a secure digital data exchange to coordinate for power system security and flexibility services, providing greater value to all customers.

Action

The Project aims to address these issues by proposing a CER Data Exchange, a NEM-wide framework which seeks to simplify and support CER integration through the establishment of a common digital infrastructure that facilitates information provision, market access and coordination, and defined governance roles for all organisations. In the absence of a CER Data Exchange, CER would need to be coordinated via many bespoke point-to-point system integrations, which are expected to carry significantly higher costs and complexity.  

The Project will involve the development and delivery of a high-level design of a CER Data Exchange and a roadmap for its implementation. The Project aims to build industry alignment on the functions, data governance, operation, ownership and funding arrangements of a CER Data Exchange and implementation strategy, including development of indicative costs and benefits for implementing a CER Data Exchange design. The Project will include Knowledge Sharing reports and public webinars outlining a framework to progress outcomes to promote the long-term interests of customers. 

Outcome

AEMO and AusNet will work with industry to co-design a high-level CER Data Exchange and build industry alignment on the functions, governance, business model and Implementation Roadmap.  

Key deliverables include: 

• A High-Level design that has considered the scope, uses cases governance, ownership, operation and funding models of a CER Data Exchange 
• An implementation plan created and aligned with Industry