Enabled by Horizon Power’s Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS), Smart Connect Solar has been completed ahead of schedule, enabling the regional energy provider to achieve its strategic goal of ensuring there are zero customer refusals when connecting rooftop solar by 2025.

Related article: Smart Connect Solar technology expands to Broome

The program has now been expanded to all towns in Horizon Power’s service area. The technology is providing thousands more households and businesses, in Horizon Power’s service area, with the opportunity to install rooftop solar and access the benefits of renewable energy.

Smart Connect Solar has delivered critical technical capabilities enabling Horizon Power to remove solar hosting capacity constraints. Previously, the number of solar installations had to be limited to ensure the security and reliability of power supply.

DERMS technology analyses weather patterns, power system conditions and renewable energy resources and uses this data to coordinate power flows to ensure the electricity network can operate safely and reliably at all times—maximising renewable energy output and benefits for Horizon Power’s customers.

In addition to rooftop solar, DERMS will enable Horizon Power to safely and reliably integrate and balance energy across customer energy resources like batteries and electric vehicles.

Horizon Power CEO Stephanie Unwin said, “Horizon Power established the strategic goal of zero customer refusals when connecting rooftop solar by 2025, to solve the technical challenges preventing customer access to rooftop solar.

Related article: Horizon Power’s Smart Connect Solar expands to NWIS

“Achieving this goal creates more customer choice to participate in renewable energy and ways to reduce energy bills. The advanced DERMS technology underpinning Smart Connect Solar will also improve the safety and stability of our systems as they evolve to incorporate greater levels of clean energy.

“We are proud to have completed the roll-out of Smart Connect Solar ahead of schedule, so that thousands of additional customers can reap the benefits of renewables, including reduced energy bills, earlier than expected.”

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The state-of-the-art technology will increase access to renewable energy to the towns and is as part of a state-wide program which was launched by Horizon Power in Carnarvon last month.

Related article: Solar access for WA’s regions with Smart Connect Solar

The Smart Connect Solar project is removing hosting capacity constraints which limits solar installations across regional towns, enabling thousands of additional customers to install rooftop solar, realise energy bill savings, and improving the safety and stability of the state’s electricity network.

The technology has been launched in the NWIS towns of Karratha, Port Hedland, South Hedland, Point Samson, Cossack and Roebourne, in the Pilbara.

It has also been rolled out in 20 towns in the Kimberley, Mid West and Gascoyne and Esperance and Goldfields regions. This includes Derby, Wyndham, Halls Creek, Lombadina, Kalumburu, Warmun, Coral Bay, Cue, Meekatharra, Wiluna, Yalgoo, Hopetoun, Laverton, Leonora, Norseman, Camballin, Ardyaloon, Beagle Bay, Bidyadanga and Nullagine.

Karratha was the only town among the 26 which had exhausted its hosting capacity limits, however, Smart Connect Solar removes the requirement to apply future restrictions and enables towns to continue to realise their future solar potential.

Karratha has had active hosting capacity limitations from late 2023. Smart Connect Solar will enable homes and businesses in Karratha to apply and connect solar without existing restrictions.

“By 2025, Horizon Power, WA’s regional energy provider, will have deployed Smart Connect Solar to all towns in its service area, which is a significant milestone in increasing access to solar energy to residents across Western Australia,” Horizon Power CEO Stephanie Unwin said.

The staged rollout will also support regional solar installation businesses, with demand for solar expected to increase once hosting limits are removed.

“Not only does Smart Connect Solar use cutting-edge technology, it will also be a key contributor to the State Government’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” Unwin said.

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“Furthermore, it equips Horizon Power with the necessary technical capabilities to fulfil our commitment to ensuring ‘zero customer refusals when connecting rooftop solar by 2025’ across our networks.”

Harnessing the power of predictive analytics, Smart Connect Solar analyses weather patterns, and accurately forecasts energy generation and demand. This enables real-time orchestration of a customer’s solar generation, effectively mitigating the risk of voltage and frequency fluctuations that could destabilise the electricity system and cause supply disruptions.

The post Horizon Power’s Smart Connect Solar expands to NWIS appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.