Luceo Networks, on behalf of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), has received $2.6 million in funding to create a solution to overcome challenges for distribution network service providers (DNSPs) in managing distributed energy resources (DER) within low voltage networks.

The Queensland-based Lucio Energy aims to develop a proof-of-concept data platform that will integrate data from various sources, as well as a network hosting capacity estimator to analyse the data.

Data from the project will include network infrastructure, network connected devices like NBN hubs, smart meter data, smart DER data and inverters.

With this information, Lucio Networks is hoping to overcome visibility challenges faces by DNSPs where they lack the ability to access and harness non-network owned sources of low voltage data in real time.

This information data gap is a barrio to DNSPs’ ability to plan and manage DER within technical limits. Because of this, DNSPs are unable to confidently deviate from conservative or static network hosting capacity limits.

On top of that, the project will help businesses find the best use case benefits for utilising a mix of network data solutions to improve the accuracy of network hosting through greater visibility instead of costly network augmentation.

The $5.7 million project, titled SHIELD (Synchronising Heterogeneous Information to Evaluate Limits for DNSPs) will be trialled in Queensland and New South Wales with assistance from project partners the University of Queensland, GridQube Pty Ltd, Essential Energy, Ergon Energy and Energex.

ARENA chief executive Darren Miller says the project will aim to address a key issue for DNSPs and develop a proof-of-concept product ready to test: “There is growing recognition that the lack of reliable, low voltage network data is limiting DER’s true value for both customers and networks. It is, however, incredibly difficult to acquire, sort and integrate multiple data sets into a single source. Tackling this complex and challenging task is what makes Luceo Energy’s project so innovative.

“The project could increase the value delivered by renewables by determining a ‘sweet spot’ between investment in data monitoring and visibility of DER to ensure that the right level of investment is applied, benefiting all key stakeholders including DNSPs, regulators and ultimately customers.”