Mixing Old and New Solar Tech? - Don't Remove Existing Systems

Australia’s solar market is rapidly evolving — and so are the compliance requirements. With the rollout of Dynamic and Flexible Export rules, Emergency Backstop programs.

Homeowners and installers are being forced to rethink how they manage legacy solar systems.

The big question: What do you do with a legacy solar system that doesn’t meet today’s standards — but still works fine?

The Wrong Answer: is pulling them out!

 Across South Australia, Queensland, and Victoria, solar owners are being told that in order to upgrade or add a battery, they may need to replace their existing inverter — just to comply with DNSP requirements.

That’s costly, creates unnecessary e-waste, goes against the sustainability our industry is built on.

As Solar Quotes recently reported, “perfectly good inverters are being dumped” just because they don’t support dynamic export compliance. This isn't only wasteful — it’s avoidable!

The Smart Answer: CATCH Power’s CATCH Control

CATCH Control gives installers and homeowners a smarter, more sustainable way forward.

Instead of removing working systems, CATCH Control bridges the gap between legacy and modern inverters and batteries, integrating them into a system that meets compliance, Flexibility, visibility, and control— all in one place.

Here’s how:

One Gateway. Total Compatibility.

Most DNSPs (like Powercor and Energex) now require a single gateway device to manage export limits during minimum demand events.

·       CATCH Power Works with 80% of modern inverters and 100% of legacy inverters.

·       Combines legacy and new inverters, batteries, and loads for full monitoring and control in the one place.

·       Acts as single gateway device receiving signals directly from DNSP servers.

·       Alerts your customers when a network event takes place, so they don’t question the system performance.

How It Works

CATCH Control interacts directly with the DNSP servers and acts on signals sent. During a network limiting event CATCH Control will shut down the legacy inverter and dynamically ramp the new inverter to the allowable export threshold.

This approach allows the entire system to stay operational and compliant, with flexibility and without removing existing inverters.

Retrofits Are the Future — Let’s Not Waste the Past

According to RenewEconomy, 50% of battery installations moving forward are tipped to be retrofits — additions to existing solar systems. That means we need smarter ways to integrate new and old tech without conflict.

With CATCH Control, installers can:

• Preserve existing systems (no landfill)

• Save customers money

• Deliver full visibility and smarter load control

• Enable future-proof battery and EV integrations

It’s Not Just About Inverters — It’s About Control

CATCH Control doesn’t just manage inverters. It also:

• Controls hot water, EV charging, and other connected loads

• Integrates with the wholesale market and retail plans to recommend the best plan for homeowners

• Prevents batteries from discharging into non-essential loads

• Tracks DNSP throttling in real time — so installers and homeowners know when the network is taking control.

If you're retrofitting a solar system, or adding a battery to an older site, don’t rip out good gear. Make it smart, make it visible, and make it compliant — with CATCH Control.