The federal government is paying researchers to help with new green power standards. 

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $1.04 million in funding to the University of Wollongong (UOW) to address challenges with the current renewable energy compliance assessment framework.

The experts have been tasked with developing a robust new methodology to be used across Australia’s energy grids.

The new methodology will be used as an interim best practice guideline for voluntary use by participating industry stakeholders, and as the basis for a submission to amend the Australian Standards.

Harmonics are a periodic distortion of the voltage waveform and can be caused by the inverters used by renewable energy generators and storage devices. Equipment connected to an electricity network can tolerate a certain level of voltage waveform distortion.

UOW’s project focuses on the issues associated with the assessment of compliance of harmonic emission allocations.

Currently, Network Service Providers (NSPs) are required to ensure that voltage waveform distortion present on the network is below the level of equipment tolerance to ensure grid-connected equipment operates as intended. 

If harmonic distortion exceeds the tolerance, equipment may be impacted by reduced efficiency, reduced life and operational failure. The assessment of compliance with harmonic emission allocations is undertaken to ensure this tolerance is not breached.

The current regulatory guidelines do not account for the recent complexities of the energy system caused by variable renewable generation like solar and wind.

As a result, NSPs are implementing individual methodologies that vary by region, potentially leading to inconsistent estimates, unnecessary curtailment and overinvestment in harmonic mitigation equipment.

UOW’s project is supported by 12 industry stakeholders including transmission and distribution network service providers, renewable energy developers and renewable energy equipment suppliers, all of whom will participate as research partners.

UOW’s project will take place over 29 months, with the last five months dedicated to developing all relevant documentation to be used in the submission process to amend the Australian Standards and the National Electricity Rules.