Victoria Emergency Backstop Mechanism

The Victorian Government is introducing an emergency backstop mechanism for customer embedded generation systems. This emergency backstop mechanism will be introduced in 2 phases with the first phase mandate in October 2023. The new mandate requires that all new, replacement and upgraded applications for embedded generation with a site capacity greater than 200kVA be equipped with remote disconnection capability.  

Customers whose installations fall under the new guidelines will be required to install a capability that allows the Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP) to remotely disconnect generators when directed by the Australian Electricity Market Operator (AEMO).   

To support our customers with complying with this mandate, Jemena Electricity Networks has updated our Embedded Generation Backstop Guidelines which can be found here. 

What is the Emergency Backstop Mechanism and how does it work? 

The emergency backstop requires network service providers to be able to remotely turn down or switch off customer embedded generation systems during an energy supply emergency to avoid blackouts. This will only be used in rare emergency situations when the network rooftop solar exports are high, but energy use is low, and the electricity grid becomes unstable and unable to be safely managed. 

The emergency backstop mechanism will mainly only be used when required by AEMO. It will help to avoid blackouts and make sure that Victorians can continue to use electricity. 

For more information on the Emergency Backstop Mechanism, please refer to the Victorian Government's Energy Website.

What does it mean for me? 

To ensure compliance with the first phase of the mandate, all new, replacement and upgraded applications for embedded generation with a site capacity of greater than 200kVA are required to follow Jemena’s Embedded Generation Backstop Guideline. The guideline provides information on the solution requirements to enable Jemena to remotely turn down or switch off customer embedded generation systems in the rare event that we are directed to do so by AEMO. 

We recommend you review the new guidelines in detail and factor any additional costs into upcoming system designs and estimates. 

The guideline and requirement for the installation of equipment to enable the remote-control capabilities will apply to:  

• • Embedded Generation Installations of 1 MVA (or larger) connected to Jemena Electricity Networks that are installed or modified after 1 September 2022, or 
  • Embedded Generation Installations of greater than 200 kVA with a connection application made after 25 October 2023. 

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss this further, please contact us on Generation_Enquiries@jemena.com.au. 

New Inverter Standard Update – December 2021

The standard relating to solar inverters is about to change. The new inverter standard AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 has new inclusions to address grid stability issues – a new feature that is necessary to further enhance the hosting capacity to accommodate more solar and renewable energy systems.

From 18 December 2021, AS/NZS 4777.2:2015 will be superseded by AS/NZS 4777.2:2020.

During commissioning of an AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 compliant inverter, installers will be required to select a region before the inverter begins to operate. All inverters installed within Jemena electricity network will require ‘Australia A’ settings for protection and response modes.

Prior to 18 December 2021, inverters must comply with either:

• • AS/NZS 4777.2:2015 and Power Quality settings as described in Jemena’s ‘Inverter Energy System Embedded Generators Protection Requirements and Settings Summary’; or
  • AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 with the default regional setting selection set to ‘Australia A’ Inverter Requirements & Settings (AS/NZS 4777.2: 2020) 

If you wish to install an inverter that complies with AS/NZS 4777.2:2015, it is strongly recommended you submit your application on Jemena’s online portal by Friday 12 November 2021 to ensure you receive a connection offer and the contract is entered into before 18 December 2021.

Applications received after this date cannot be guaranteed to receive a connection offer and contract is entered into before 18 December 2021. In addition, if an application is submitted by 12 November 2021, but is incomplete or incorrect, we cannot guarantee we will be able to finalise our assessment and issue a connection contract to be entered into before 18 December 2021.

All connection contracts entered into and inverter installations from 18 December 2021 must comply with the latest AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 as required under the National Electricity Rules, Electricity Safety Act 1998 and Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019.

For the installation of AS/NZS 4777.2:2015 compliant inverters, you must have both:

• • The connection contract entered into before 18 December 2021, and
  • Signed Certificate of Electrical Safety (CES) for the AS/NZS 4777.2:2015 compliant inverter with a completion date before 18 December 2021.

Both of these requirements are regulative/ legislative obligations of the National Electricity Rules, Electricity Safety Act 1998 and Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019.

All inverters must be Clean Energy Council approved. A list of approved AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 inverters can be found here. Inverters compliant to AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 will be identified in the CEC list by the addition of the text ‘(AS4777-2 2020)’ after the device model number.

For eligibility criteria in relation to:

• • The small-scale technology certificates and large-scale generation certificates, compliance with AS/NZS 4777.2 current version is part of the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) eligibility criteria. With changes to the standard, the affected installation should refer to the regulations for eligibility criteria for these certificates, as provided by the Clean Energy Regulator on their website.
  • Solar Victoria Rebates, refer to Solar Victoria notice to market
    https://www.solar.vic.gov.au/notice-to-market

Jemena approval of an installation may not meet the eligibility criteria of CER or Solar Victoria Rebates. This is the responsibility of the customer and supplier/installer to manage.
 

The Distributed Energy Resources Register

Jemena and all other distribution networks must submit embedded generation (i.e. rooftop solar) details to a register known as the Distributed Energy Resources register, or ‘DER’. The DER is a centralised data set for each residential and commercial embedded generation installation, which will allow networks to make better informed decisions about network investment options, and allow AEMO to forecast, plan and operate the grid more efficiently.

To ensure all required information is captured and sent to AEMO, Jemena has an online Embedded Generation application which aligns the capture of Jemena’s solar and renewables data with all other construction applications in our ‘Connect and manage my electricity’ portal.

This application must be completed prior to a request to the customers retailer requesting the meter be reconfigured to record solar generation. Creating this application auto-generates a unique installation reference number, known as the Embedded Generation application ID, or ’EGid’. The EGid is used by Jemena, AEMO and the retailer for reference throughout the configuration process.

Information for customers

For residential and commercial customers looking to install solar and renewables

An inverter is one of the essential features of your rooftop solar system. It is the device that converts your solar energy into power you can use in your home. It also links with our electricity network and is a safety device. The inverter will automatically switch off your rooftop solar system (or ‘trip’) if something goes wrong.

Since December 2019, smart inverters are mandatory on all Victorian rooftop solar systems.

These advanced units have power quality and voltage settings that will make your system more resilient to fluctuations in power voltage on our network. Otherwise, these can cause trips which mean your system will not be generating power anymore for your home or to export.

Check with your solar installer to make sure your smart inverter is set properly in order to get the best results from your system.

When customers are ready to have their solar / renewable power connected to the grid, they must provide the following information to their energy retailer:

i.     EGid - Embedded Generation application ID
ii.    EWR - Electrical Works Request
iii.   CES - Certificate of Electrical Safety

Customers are encouraged to ensure they obtain this information from their installer / REC once their solar panels are installed and the Embedded Generation application has been submitted.

Information for installers and electrical contractors

1.    The Embedded Generation form

All installers and electrical contractors are required to:

1. Enter all required information directly into the Embedded Generation application on the Jemena ‘Connect and manage my electricity’ portal. This online application is mobile enabled, allowing data to be entered on the go; and
2. Provide additional information in the application than has traditionally been required by Jemena. This will involve the completion of 17 fields of data relating to the devices being installed, as per the checklist below. The following table shows the new Jemena process for embedded generation applications.

Embedded Generation Application data checklist:

The following table describes the new Digital process. Applicants should submit their application before they start the installation.

2.    Changes to the MSO Standards

The inverter standards in our updated Model Standing Offer are now also aligned with the latest minimum technical standards and AS/NZS 4777.2:2020. This will be effective from 18 December 2021, and will require all new inverters to be installed with ‘Australia A’ settings for protection and response modes.

Until then, it is important that for all new solar PV installations where the inverter complies with AS/NZS 4777.2:2015 continue to be commissioned with the correct smart inverter settings calibrated. If they are not compliant, then solar customers will not be getting the most out of their solar installations and customers on our networks will be impacted by safety or reliability risks.  The power quality response modes are shown below and should only apply to AS/NZS 4777.2:2015 compliant inverters installed with connection contract entered into before 18 December 2021 (refer to our existing Model Standing Offer effective until 17 December 2021):

Volt-var response mode (mandatory)

Volt-watt response mode (mandatory)

Sustained operation for voltage variation

To reiterate, all new inverters with connection contract entered into from 18 December 2021 must comply with the new AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 standard and will require all new inverters to be installed with ‘Australia A’ settings for protection and response modes. We recognise the Clean Energy Council is working closely with inverter manufacturers to develop an approved list of products that will comply with these settings.

For a list of approved inverters which meet these standards, please visit the CEC website. For more information about the new embedded generation inverter requirements & settings, please follow the links below.

3. Application Fees

Pricing as at: 1st July 2021

Application fees for Residential Rooftop Solar and Commercial & Industrial Solar, covering new solar installation as well as alteration to existing solar installation (i.e. existing solar installation plus new solar installation):

*Note: This table contains an estimated Application Fee, however it may vary on a project-by-project basis depending on its complexity. Jemena reserves the right to amend this fee for any unanticipated additional work that may rise at the Connection Application stage.

Application fees for Residential Rooftop Solar plus Home Battery Storage:

Digital Embedded Generation application:

Technical guidelines and inverter settings:

External Links: