The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has awarded AU$6.52 million to the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to address security and safety challenges in operating a power grid increasingly reliant on solar, wind, and battery storage.
The three-and-a-half-year project, titled Protection & Relay Operation for Inverter-based Low-inertia Electricity Systems (PROFILES), will be spearheaded by the UNSW School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications alongside the Real Time Simulations Laboratory (RTS@UNSW).
The initiative addresses technical hurdles as Australia shifts away from legacy fossil fuel generators toward inverter-based resources.
“The way that the power is supplied from renewables is fundamentally different to that of traditional coal-fired generation,” said Associate Professor Georgios Konstantinou, project lead at UNSW Sydney.
“Essentially, we need to keep operating a safe and reliable power system. This work will help to future-proof, manage risks, and reduce the costs associated with renewable power systems.”
A central focus of the research involves examining how emerging grid-forming battery energy storage systems interact with existing grid protection systems.
According to ARENA, the project responds directly to key knowledge gaps identified in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) Transition Plan for System Security.
Specifically, researchers will analyse how grid-forming batteries supply fault current during network disturbances, a vital mechanism required to maintain system strength before these technologies can be deployed more broadly across the National Electricity Market (NEM).
ARENA highlighted UNSW’s advanced ‘hardware-in-the-loop’ testing capabilities and independent research standing as pivotal factors for delivering credible, industry-wide insights.
UNSW Sydney Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise, Professor Bronwyn Fox, pointed out that transforming the national grid is a vital undertaking.
“This research is essential for the future of Australia’s energy transition and recognises the important work that A/Prof. Konstantinou and his team have been doing,” Fox said.