The latest meeting of national energy ministers has detailed how the federal government will set and enforce standards for the rapidly expanding household market for solar panels, storage and other consumer energy resources.
As foreshadowed by Renew Economy, the Albanese government will develop technical requirements for consumer energy resources within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). These will sit within a Technical Requirements Office (TRO).
It will also set up a Consumer Energy National Technical Regulator (CENTR), hosted by the Clean Energy Regulator, to manage compliance and conformance with the new CER Technical Code developed by DCCEEW.
The code will set common technical rules for consumer energy resources, such as inverters for batteries and rooftop PV systems and electric vehicle (EV) supply equipment. “The code will support a more reliable energy system and give consumers more options in the future,” according to the CENTR framework published on the department website after it won endorsement at Friday’s Energy and Climate Ministerial Council meeting.
“It will ensure products can connect to and work with the electricity grid. It will also help different products and energy services work together,” it said.
