Ausgrid nets innovation award

Ausgrid has claimed this year’s Energy Network Industry Innovation Award for a project that incorporates customer energy resources into the National Energy Market.

Presented at the Energy Networks Australia (ENA) annual dinner, the award recognises leadership in the design, development and application of a groundbreaking Australian energy network initiative.

The NSW electricity distributor collaborated with Reposit Power on its winning entry, ‘Project Edith — dynamic network pricing for market active consumer energy resources’, which aims to show how, through dynamic network prices, distribution networks can unlock more value for and from customer energy resources. Reposit Power is an Australian company that orchestrates customer resources into virtual power plants that can participate in the NEM.

ENA Chief Executive Officer Dom van den Berg praised the project’s collaborative approach: “Australia’s energy networks are world leaders in innovation, and Project Edith shows networks taking a more customer-centric approach to innovation and engaging closely with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure customers are taken on the journey to net zero.

“This project demonstrates how networks can utilise the grid in an economic manner while at the same time connecting with customers along the network,” she said.

Project Edith is named after Edith Clarke, a pioneer of electrical power system analysis, considered the ‘Mother of Invention’ at General Electric alongside Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

The winners were announced at the Energy Networks Australia Annual Dinner along with the Consumer Engagement Award and the Industry Contribution Awards.

Image caption: ENA CEO Dom van den Berg (L) with the team from Ausgrid and AEMC Chief Executive Benn Barr (R).