Implementing Victoria’s emergency solar backstop was a dog’s breakfast, according to some angry installers.
In October, Victoria’s Emergency Backstop Mechanism (VEBM) requirement for new/replacement residential rooftop solar installations came into effect. It is intended to be used as a last resort to deal with minimal system load (demand) events that are associated with high solar exports and can threaten the stability of the electricity grid. You can read more about the how and why of VEBM here.
The state was not the pioneer of this kind. Victoria had the advantage of simply having to look across the border to South Australia in order to be able to get everything sorted right from the start. However, according to the frustrated installers, it appears that the powers that be have not done so – they are pointing the finger at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change (DEECA) and the state’s Distributed Networks Service Providers (DNSPs).
A test situation
The main problem lies in backstop testing of new or replacement installations. also a requirement. This DNSP can take a significant amount of time to run – up to 7 days, but there have been reports of up to 60 days. The installer cannot leave at the end of the installation day and be confident that the job is done, even though they have checked all the boxes and cleared all the hurdles. Installers/Dealers cannot close an order until testing is complete. This means they have to constantly log in to the relevant DNSP portal to perform the check.
SQ’s experienced installer Anthony summarizes how this test works in South Australia:
“In SA you have the installer turn on the system, make the connections between the inverter, WiFi, monitoring portal and SAPN server… (a bit production-wise). The installer then pings the system via the SAPN portal to activate it and checks in real time whether it is working.
It still needs enough sunshine to activate the inverter, but you know what you’re dealing with and it’s pretty reliable. The advantage is that if the installer does not get the system to work properly, it will not be able to obtain network permissions for additional systems until the problems with the systems already installed are resolved. This stops people from just selling shit and then abandoning it.”
In Victoria, where connections sometimes fail backstop tests for no apparent reason, the DNSP portals are reportedly slow and unreliable; There is no transparency for the dealer or installer as to why the error occurred. Victorian plumbers may need to visit sites multiple times and no one else will pay for this valuable time – this is essentially impossible so that they can integrate backstop requirements into their offers and invoices.
While there is only one DSNP (SA Power Networks) in South Australia, there are five DNSPs in Victoria – CitiPower, Powercor, Jemena, AusNet and United Energy. Currently, the DNSPs are not aligned in the way they handle the backstop because the processes between them are different.
The situation is as it is fears that the unnecessarily complicated system will lead to many solar operators simply choosing zero export as an option – and there are apparently several reports that this is already the case. Victoria’s solar feed-in tariffs aren’t exactly stellar, but they’re better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick and will help speed up the system’s payback.
These issues only scratch the surface of Victoria’s alleged emergency backstop review.
Some VIC installers are insane
.. and it looks like they can’t take it anymore – they’re organizing themselves. Matt Wilson from Central Spark Victoria posted the following a few days ago:
“It’s time to fix this. The industry is tired of being kicked around and absorbing the shortcomings of the Victorian backstop mechanism. It’s time to be vocal; Get involved on your social media, call your local member, turn on the radio, just make sure you speak loudly. The buck shouldn’t be ours!”
Emergency backstop initiatives have been controversial enough due to the amount of misinformation. The situation faced by some Victorian plumbers only makes matters worse.
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