It’s an exciting time in energy. With more renewables and technology coming onto the grid, we’re taking charge of our energy future to provide cleaner, reliable and affordable electricity, and enabling our customers to access the services they require.
The way electricity is being delivered and consumed is undergoing a rapid transformation. The seismic shift in renewable energy technology is driving change, creating new opportunities and challenges for the Endeavour Energy network.
We power one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, and need to be positioned to keep up with customer demands and requirements. That’s why we’re exploring new and innovative ways to connect customers and deliver energy solutions that will meet our future energy needs.
Laying down the foundations for a brighter energy future
We have set very clear goals for our energy future. We’re working towards a smarter, more flexible and integrated modern grid that will allow us to adapt to evolving customer needs, while maintaining a safe and reliable network.
With a firm focus on our customers and the shift to a cleaner, greener and lower carbon energy future, we’re committed to enhancing the resilience and long-term sustainability of our network. This will allow us to use more renewable energy and further enable the integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) like rooftop solar systems, batteries, smart meters and electric vehicles.
What does a modern energy grid look like?
DER presents both challenges and opportunities for the way we produce, manage and consume electricity. We are becoming less dependent on a ‘top down’ approach for electricity supply, and our customers are becoming empowered to source energy from DER.
However, our network design will need to evolve to embrace these changes and to permit equitable access to all users of DER. As customers continue to embrace solar, we want to make sure this momentum keeps growing without compromising the network to reduce the repetition of ending paragraphs by saying maintaining a reliable network.
We’ve invested in exploring new technologies that will tackle this, and provide customers with more choice and control on how they use and receive energy. This includes rolling out projects and initiatives with community batteries, electric vehicles, smart meters and advanced analytics, and systems to enable the management and trading of DER. These innovations will ensure we can keep pace with the changes that are happening on our network and meet the needs of all customers.
As the cost of technology continues to fall, innovations like these will present even more opportunities for the Endeavour Energy network.
What will it mean for my energy?
The shift from traditional poles and wires to a flexible modern grid will give customers more control on how they use and receive energy in the future, based on their lifestyle needs. It will also:
- Ensure greater reliability of the grid
- Reduce power system costs which translates into lower electricity bills for customers
- Enable more renewable energy onto the grid to provide customers with more choice
- Ensure customers can reap the benefits of solar without risking the stability of the network
- Reduce emissions and contribute to a cleaner energy future
- Support the electrification of industries and contribute to building sustainable and vibrant communities
How long will it take us to get there?
We are now working to address changes in energy demand and consumption, and the impact this has on a constantly evolving network.
We are driving continuous improvements such as voltage management, and embracing new, more efficient, technologies to deliver services to our customers.
We’re already planning for the longer term, which will see our modern grid support further DER adoption, facilitate multi-directional flows in the energy system and enable the take-up of cutting edge innovations.