The Australian Energy Market Commission says it needs more time to consider a rule change request seeking to set an initial minimum technical standard for rooftop solar and other distributed energy resources (DER) on the National Electricity Market.
In a statement on Thursday, the AEMC said it had extended the deadline for the scheduled publication of a draft rule determination to December 03, 2002, to give it more time to assess the complex range of issues raised by stakeholders around the rule change request.
“The Australian Energy Market Commission is investigating how small energy systems like rooftop solar can best contribute to Australia’s renewable energy future without risking system security,” the statement said.
In seeking the rule change, the Australian Energy Market Operator has argued that the huge uptake of rooftop solar on the NEM is threatening new challenges for power system balancing, stability, and recovery after major incidents.
AEMO’s push for a uniform minimum technical standard to govern DER would also seek to address the sometimes major variations between standards from state to state and even between local distribution networks.
The AEMC said that the 27 submissions from a broad range of industry players and interest groups, and the complexity of issues arising from them warranted an extension of time to allow for further analysis.
