East coast electricity distributor Ausgrid is rolling out a trial to turn commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop solar surplus, into an opportunity to share energy with consumers who can’t install solar.
Renters, apartment dwellers, consumers priced out of solar market, and small businesses neighbouring industrial zones, shopping centres, schools and other large buildings, could benefit from surplus solar generated by C&I facilities.
Using a network of community batteries, the Community Power Network (CPN) is intended to benefit around 32,000 Ausgrid customers across parts of Sydney and the Central Coast.
Ausgrid CEO Marc England said many of today’s benefits of solar or batteries are only available to people who own a suitable home and can afford the upfront cost.
“The Community Power Network addresses this by encouraging large rooftop owners to install more than they need and then enabling neighbouring renters, apartment dwellers and other households to share in the benefits,” England said.
“Solar panels can produce more electricity than an area needs in the middle of the day. Now, a lot of that energy isn’t needed because fewer people are at home to use it. The trial addresses this by storing that extra solar power in a network of community batteries and releasing it later during the evening, when people are using more electricity.”
England added the scheme could ensure efficient use of local solar capacity while reducing the dependency on infrastructure upstream of the community to deliver electricity from further away.
“We will generate a profit pool from operating the batteries, which we’ll share back with all homes and businesses, through an annual bill rebate,” England said.
“We’ll be working with local communities, researchers and consumer groups to make sure the savings are distributed in a way that’s fair and reflects what local people value most. This could mean savings of around $150 (USD 106) to $200 a year for someone without any solar panels of their own.”
For participants in the trial who do have rooftop solar will have the ability to earn more for the extra electricity they share with the community, which in turn may encourage more homes and businesses to install solar.
Community consultation on potential battery locations is underway in the first trial area spanning Botany, Mascot, Pagewood, Eastlakes and Roseberry. Consultation for the Central Coast will begin next year.
The trial is supported by $13.2 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
ARENA Chief Executive Officer Darren Miller said the CPN trial would help build practical evidence on the different ways local solar, batteries and other distributed energy resources can be coordinated to benefit customers and the grid.
“ARENA is supporting a range of trials to understand what works best in practice, including market-led approaches and, through this project, a network-led model,” Miller said.
“Testing these models side by side is important because future policy and regulatory decisions need to be informed by real-world evidence. This pilot will help show how a network-led approach could work in practice, what safeguards may be needed, and how it could sit alongside other models in a way that supports customers and the grid.”
Surveys and analysis on the trial to monitor the benefits generated for communities and to compare this to other models being tested in Australia and overseas will be conducted by RACE for 2030 and the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
RACE for 2030 Chief Executive Officer Bill Lilley said RACE for 2030 and UNSW will independently assess how the Community Power Network benefits can be shared fairly, while identifying the market, regulatory and behavioural factors needed to support wider adoption.
UNSW Energy Institute Chief Executive Officer Dani Alexander said the UNSW is pleased to be supporting this project through independent research that will help define what equitable energy sharing looks like in practice and assess how effectively this innovative model delivers on that promise.
The Community Power Network trial builds on Ausgrid’s Energy Storage as a Service program and other initiatives designed to help more people share in the benefits of renewable energy and save on their power bills.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
Martedì, 22 Settembre 2026
11:00 – 12:00 CEST, Roma
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its clean energy transition—join the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Riyadh to explore how solar PV and energy storage are powering its digital economy.
pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution.
Monday, October 26, 2026
10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Giovedì, 1 ottobre 2026
14:30 – 15:30 CEST, Roma
You have no items in your basket.
