Western Power has been recognised on the national stage for its industry-leading innovation at the inaugural Utility Awards winning the Network Innovation Award for its Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Test Lab located at South Metro Depot.
Today, more than 40 per cent of homes and businesses across the South West Interconnected System generate their electricity through their own electricity through rooftop solar, with battery uptake continuing to grow.
“While that's a great outcome for customers and the energy transition, it also means our network is operating in new ways and requires new capabilities to support it. The DER Test Lab was established to build those capabilities,” Western Power’s Head of Energy Transition Megan Allan said.
“The innovation of the DER Test Lab is not simply the facility itself, but the collaborative environment it creates, with the collective aim of addressing and overcoming challenges, and accelerating the energy transition.”
Funded through Western Power’s Innovation Investment Fund, the ‘Lab’ is creating the technical foundations needed for customer-owned energy resources to participate at scale, enabling virtual power plants and supporting a more flexible, resilient and customer-led energy future.
“This achievement is a testament to the power of collaboration with our partners including Synergy, the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification, along with the manufacturers, software providers and energy service providers who have worked alongside us to bring this initiative to life,” Western Power Chief Technology Officer Sandra Smallbon said.
Western Power’s Dynamic Transformer Rating was also a finalist in the award’s network innovation category.
DTR technology provides Western Power with more accurate understanding of network capacity allowing the use of existing infrastructure to be safely maximised.
“Winning this award recognises the important role innovation plays in preparing our network for Western Australia’s changing energy needs, and having another of our projects named as a finalist further demonstrates the strength of innovation across our organisation,” she said.