This is our take on the new SA Government Regulations that have come in to effect on 28/08/2020 for new solar connections.
Voltage Ride Through
There are 2 types of voltage events that, when they occur, will cause a solar inverter to switch off. This not only stops the solar energy system from working, it can also cause problems on the whole electricity grid.
The new voltage ride through legislation is aimed at allowing the solar power system to continue to work and feed energy to your property and surplus to the grid, during low voltage events. This will help to stabilise the grid and also help the solar owner, as previously the solar inverter would’ve just shut down.
SA Government ‘Smarter Homes’ amendments – Relevant Agent
This has been the most contentious part of the new regulations, with media outlets reporting that the ‘boogey man’ will be switching off solar power plants. The facts are that South Australian solar power system owners and solar retailers have been dealing with huge issues relating to over voltage for years.
If voltage on the electrical grid exceeds the permissible voltage, then traditionally solar inverters have shut down. This means that solar system owners would not be able to produce any free electricity from the sun.
This new regulation is aimed at reducing over voltage events, by controlling the export of excess solar energy to the grid. The downside, is that during one of these events, exported energy would be limited. The upside is that the solar power system will still be able to supply energy to any load.
Considering the fact that the whole system would just shut off under the previous legislation, on balance we also see this as a positive move for solar power generators.
This regulation, in fact, has major benefits to solar power system owners who utilise most of their solar energy during daylight hours.
New Smart Meter Wiring Rules.
New wiring rules have been put in place for smart meters, and the main benefit to solar power system owners is that a more accurate reporting of solar energy will now be available via electricity bills.
In addition to this, the new advance meters will have the ability to report electricity consumption remotely and reduce the prevalence of estimated bills.
