On October 1st , 2024 Victoria introduced a new rule for solar owners called the Emergency Backstop. What is it, how much will it impact and how can you comply?
What is the Emergency Backstop?
Rooftop solar is now installed on almost 4 million Australian homes, saving Billions of dollars for solar owners. As a consequence, grid networks have to manage a lot of energy from rooftop solar and occasionally this can be a challenge.
The Emergency Backstop mechanism allows grid operators to remotely and quickly reduce solar output when storms knock down powerlines or the grid is under abnormal stress. It’s a great thing because that helps keeps the lights on for everyone by coordinating solar output better. Victoria has followed South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland in introducing these measures and all the other States have announced it’s coming soon.
Will it impact on solar savings?
In the event of an emergency and your solar output being reduced then yes, you will see an impact on savings. However, what we know from the other states is that the mechanism is rarely, if ever used and typically only for a few hours.
So IF it happens, it’s only likely to cost you a dollar or two, depending on your system size which is about 0.001% of the typical annual savings from a solar system.
How can you comply?
Solar installers and equipment manufacturers have a range of solutions to ensure you are compliant.
In a nutshell, it requires a consumption meter to be fitted and Wi-Fi connected which is a huge bonus because you can see your solar generation, self-consumption and exports giving you much greater visibility over your energy costs.
Then, solar installers will commission and test your system to ensure the grid operator can send a signal to your equipment if needed.
How can CATCH Power help?
CATCH Power has gone even further and developed a uniquely flexible and clever solution to help solar installers and owners.
Firstly, CATCH Power’s hardware can be used with multiple inverter brands, is super compact, fast to install and uniquely includes the ability to automatically control loads. No other inverter consumption meter can do this!
For solar installers, connecting is super easy thanks to CATCH Powers Configurator app. After commissioning the site, simply choose the Dynamic export option, enable it and wait for the test to be completed. We will use the NMI meter number to connect to the local grid operator and confirm when completed. Check out our YouTube presentation here for extra information.
Finally, our software not only allows you to see everything that’s going on but in the unlikely event that your solar system output is reduced, you will see a notification explaining what’s happened.
Conclusion
So, the Emergency Backstop may sound scary but in reality, apart from being a tiny bit more effort during installation, it has minimal cost and adds many benefits. It won’t impact your savings in any material way and ensures that more Australians can get solar installed, and the lights stay on for everyone in emergencies.
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