Solar Emergency Backstop
Sep 19, 2024
Occasionally on mild sunny days, when demand is low, there is more solar generated electricity being exported to the grid than we can use.
This can lead to
- Unstable electricity supply
- Low voltage issues
- Possible outages
To overcome this and to support more households to install solar, there is a need for an emergency backstop. This backstop will ensure solar exports can be safely managed by enabling rooftop solar systems to be turned down or switched off when there is too much power in the grid.
The backstop will be a last resort and will not affect the supply of electricity to the home. It will only be used when required by the Australian Electricity Market Operator (AEMO) and only as long as it is needed, anticipating rare emergencies when solar exports are too high to be safely managed.
This comes into effect from the 1st October for all new small and medium installations or those undergoing an upgrade. To ensure that a system is backstop enabled a compatible inverter is installed to a reliable internet connection enabling the distributor to communicate with the inverter.
Visit the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change for more information.
