IN - Customer focus
Essential Energy is working with customers to help them become more energy efficient.
Read more
- Essential Energy has been working on intelligent network innovation for over six years.
- In 2004 we conducted Australia’s first demand management trial including smart meters, in-home displays, and critical peak pricing tariffs. This award winning trial involved around 150 participants located in Queanbeyan, NSW, and surrounds. The trial confirmed visibility of consumption in near-real time makes energy efficiency simpler. This was proven through an overall reduction in consumption and up to 30 per cent reduction during peak times. Education was key to the success of the trial. It helped our customers maximise the benefits of the technology to save on their costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
- Over the past three years we've sponsored a PhD student at Charles Sturt University to conduct research focussed on the engagement of regional customers in energy efficiency programs. The research findings will inform our intelligent network initiatives in the future and help us design education programs to help customers make the most of new technology and greater visibility of their electricity consumption.
- We continue to inform customers about the benefits of being energy efficient through energyanswers, an advice line (phone 1800 ENERGY) which offers free and practical information to help customers reduce their electricity bill.
IN - Network transformation
Essential Energy is building a more intelligent network by installing smarter devices.
Read more
- Before the terms Smart Grid and intelligent network entered the main stream, we were strengthening our network by establishing SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) in many zone substations to notify operators of faults and allow remote monitoring of their condition and control of devices such as circuit breakers.
-
By adding smart protection relays, greater visibility of operational and power quality data including fault locations, and power factor moved Essential Energy forward in terms of intelligent network sophistication.
-
With a central asset management system and an intelligent operating system in place, we're adding functions to provide operators with even greater control.
- As part of our investment program we’re installing smarter devices such as reclosers which provide visibility and remote control of field devices and a range of operational and engineering data.
- In addition to smarter devices and applications, we're considering how to transport data. Our network is vast and requires a number of communications solutions. We have installed fibre loops in some regional centres and are working with WiMax, RadioMesh and 3G technology to identify the mix of communications solutions required to transport data across the intelligent network.
- We’re working on establishing two Intelligent Network Communities (IN Communities) in regional NSW. These live test beds will allow us to refine our strategy while delivering the benefits of a more intelligent network to customers, including reduced or shorter outages and improved response times.
IN - Innovation
Essential Energy is working with innovative Australian businesses to develop intelligent network solutions.
Read more
- We’re working with innovative Australian companies to design smart grid applications that will accelerate the transformation of the electricity network. Essential technology includes smart meters, electricity storage and inverter technology that will make the network more flexible and able to accommodate more renewable energy generation across the network.
IN - Collaboration
Essential Energy is sharing knowledge to accelerate the transformation of the electricity network.
Read more
- We're a founding member of Smart Grid Australia, a forum of like-minded businesses committed to transforming the electricity supply chain. This presents an ideal opportunity for Essential Energy to participate in the smart grid discussion at a national level covering standards, regulations, customers and business issues that may arise as the smart grid becomes a reality.
- At a global level we're Australia’s only member of the Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition. Convened by IBM, the Coalition is committed to transferring knowledge between members to accelerate smart grid technology adoption. This forum aims to tackle the common set of challenges many utilities face as they deploy smarter technology and seek to motivate customers to interact with the grid as part of their daily lives.
- We support an Australian Research Council (ARC) funded research project at the University of Wollongong, investigating the disruptive effects of embedded generation on distribution networks.