The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) says it is supporting consumer choice with a new database. 

AEMO has launched a new register of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) for the South West Interconnect System (SWIS), a major milestone for the Western Australian Government’s DER Roadmap. 

DER refers to consumer-owned devices that can generate or store electricity – rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles for example – or devices that have 'smart' capabilities to actively manage energy usage (air conditioners, pool pumps, etc).

Following the release of the DER Roadmap by the WA Government’s Energy Transformation Taskforce in 2020, the WA DER Register is one of the first activities to be implemented by AEMO to support the more effective integration of DER into the Wholesale Energy Market (WEM) and the SWIS.  

As the independent market operator, AEMO is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the SWIS and WEM, including balancing supply and demand to maintain the security of the system for all customers in the south west of WA.

AEMO’s WA Executive General Manager, Cameron Parrotte, said that the register provides an important step forward to meet the challenges and opportunities with deep penetration of DER devices.

“Western Australian’s are leading the world at rooftop solar uptake, generating nearly 45 per cent of our energy needs at times,” Mr Parrotte said

“With continued DER investment forecast, it’s critical to understand the operational capability of these generation and storage devices.

“With thorough knowledge of DER, we can ensure that consumer-led energy investments also support energy system reliability and security and, at the same time, maximise value for WA’s energy consumers,” he said

The register will provide improved visibility and data of WA DER for AEMO to use in its forecasting and operational functions.