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Network innovation
Our innovation portfolio
We're exploring innovative strategies to manage electricity demand and enhance renewable technologies.
innovation portfolio

Ausgrid has an important role in encouraging customers to invest in renewable technologies and developing the grid for the energy mix of the future. As part of AER’s Demand Management & Network Innovation allowances, we’re trialling innovative ways of managing our customers’ electricity demand to better utilise existing network assets. Learnings from these programs will assist in reducing our customers' electricity bills.

Through these initiatives and with the guidance of our Network Innovation Advisory Committee (NIAC) we are playing our part in implementing the Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap developed by Energy Networks Australia and CSIRO.

solar panel

Standalone Power Systems Trial

Trial duration: 5 years (2021 – 2026) across two tranches of deployments 
Trial locations: Singleton & Upper Hunter LGA’s 
Status: In progress 

Across two tranches of deployment, Ausgrid offer targeted landowners in the identified trial areas, who live in hard to access or remote environments and where the supply of electricity is likely to be more efficient via a Stand-Alone Power System, the chance to be part of this innovative program.

Trial information
STATCOM

STATCOM Low Voltage Regulator Trial 

Trial duration: 5 years (2020-2025)
Trial locations: Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney.
Status: In progress

Ausgrid is trialling a total of 20 STATCOM low voltage (LV) regulators to better manage voltage fluctuations on Ausgrid’s LV network and improve our ability to host customer energy resources such as rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles. This will be across 2 phases of deployment, with both single-phase and three-phase units being trialled.

Trial information

Pole Mounted Battery Trial

Trial duration: 3 years (2022-2025)  
Trial locations: Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney.  
Status: In progress  
 
Our pole mounted battery trial is designed to test the viability of small pole-top batteries to support the network during heavy demand or high solar export. This will complement our larger community battery program by developing our understanding of the benefits, and technical challenges, of deployment of small-scale batteries in overhead network areas. Similar to Statcoms, this will be across 2 phases of deployment with both single phase and three phase units being trialled. Read the Ausgrid Media Release.

Trial information
smart meter

Smart Meter Data Trial

Trial duration: 4 years (2021-2025)
Trial locations: All of network area
Status: In progress

Ausgrid is trialling the acquisition of smart meter data to increase network visibility and monitoring of our low-voltage network. Combined with advanced analytics this system will identify emerging safety risks (e.g. Loss of Neutral) and help optimise the operation of the network to reduce costs and improve capacity to support customer energy resources like solar, batteries and electric vehicles.

Microgrid

LV Microgrid Trial

Trial locations: Upper Hunter 
Status: In progress (Under Construction) 

We’re proposing to trial innovative technology in Merriwa to deliver a more responsive, resilient and reliable power supply. We're investing in a microgrid trial as part of our commitment to supporting local people and communities during planned and unplanned outages. Read Ausgrid Media Release. Read the media release.

Trial information
Power pole and lines

Low Voltage Monitoring

Trial duration: 2 years (2022-2024) 
Trial locations: Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney 
Status: In progress  

The rise of rooftop solar and other Consumer Energy Resources (CER) such as home batteries and electric vehicles is changing how the LV network operates and is driving an interest for increased LV network visibility. This trial will deploy devices across the Pole Mounted transformer fleet, allowing studies to observe how the voltage, current, power factor and reverse power-flow changes with increasing CER connected to the low voltage network.

Ausgrid powerpole and line

Line Fault Indicators

Trial duration: 2 years (2023-2025) 
Trial locations: Upper Hunter, Lower Hunter, Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney 
Status: In progress  

The intent of the trial is to determine whether rapid, hot stick deployable LFIs are a cost-effective monitoring device to assist in planning and operations. Trial devices need to communicate both line current and fault indication in real time to Control Room operators via SCADA and the Advanced Distribution Management System.

Early fault detection

Early Fault Detection

Trial duration: 2 years (2023-2025) 
Trial locations: Central Coast 
Status: In progress  

Through this project Ausgrid is investigating the potential of a radio-frequency noise detection technology used to identify emerging defects on overhead networks, particularly in remote rural areas. This technology can be used to identify emerging risks to reliability or safety through detection of damage or decay of conductors, insulators, or the presence of vegetation on the line. 

Adaptive Voltage Regulation

Trial duration: 2 years (2023-2025) 
Trial locations: Newcastle, Central Coast 
Status: In progress  

Adaptive Voltage Regulation provides ability to control the zone substation voltage set point in response to real-time network and customer voltage data. During low demand and high solar output, and high voltage conditions, the real time voltage data would feed into a control system which would then send a signal to the voltage regulation scheme to lower the set-point voltage whilst ensuring minimum voltages are maintained. This trial will provide learnings on the benefits for our network and customers and the systems and network equipment required to implement on our network at scale. 

Broken Conductor Detection

Trial duration: 2 years (2023-2025) 
Trial locations: Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney 
Status: In progress  

This trial is focused on collating and analysing voltage data captured in near real-time within the SCADA system from existing field devices on the 11kV network such as Reclosers, Intellirupters, Load Break Switches, and distribution monitoring & control (DM&C devices). Ultimately this system could extend to data captured through customer smart meters which would enable detection of low voltage broken conductors. 

Remote Fault Passage Indicators

Trial duration: 2 years (2024-2026) 
Trial locations: Sydney 
Status: In progress  

The aim of using fault indicators is to have a reliable, cost efficient and fast indication of the fault location on the underground 11kV network. Fault Passage Indicators (FPI) help to locate the faulty cable quickly and remotely via the Control Room without the need of harmful switching operations to locate the fault.

Asset Condition Monitoring – HALIM

Trial duration: 3 years (2023-2026) 
Trial locations: Sydney 
Status: In progress  

Ausgrid is collaborating with a start-up vendor developing a High Accuracy Loop Impedance Meter (HALIM) to assess the condition of neutral conductors in CONSAC and other LV underground cables susceptible to neutral conductor degradation over time. This will significantly improve asset condition monitoring so that CONSAC and similar cables are not replaced prematurely.