Solar in South Australia Set for Shake-Up

Solar in South Australia is about to change a little! South Australia Power Networks (or SAPN) has announced new export options for anyone installing rooftop solar in some overcrowded areas of the power grid. This arrangement means new solar customers can choose between an export limit of up to 10kW or be restricted to exporting just 1.5kW per phase.

However, there’s a catch to choosing the ‘up to 10kW’ export option (because there’s always gotta be a catch, right?). SAPN will be able to lower the limit at their convenience, which will likely just be when the grid becomes congested and needs relief. This may or may not affect you… it all depends on how much excess solar you’re exporting. Just to give you an idea; most solar systems in South Australia and country-wide generate anywhere between 2kW and 4kW worth of excess power.

When will this happen?

SAPN are expected to introduce these new South Australian solar export options within the next few months; forming part of a trial funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (or ARENA). These measures have been taken to lower the risk of blackouts and equipment damage as a result of the power grid overloading.

Why are these changes happening in South Australia?

These changes have been put in place to try and help solve the issues in South Australia relating to the congestion of the power grid. The plan is to make the grid easier to manage whilst holding steady on the state’s mission to doubling its rooftop solar installations by 2025.

What if I have more excess solar than the export limit in South Australia?

In 2019, SAPN introduced a solar power export limit of 5kW per phase. This too was for those customers yet to have rooftop panels installed. So, if you’re thinking about solar at your place, or in the process of getting quotes and organising an installer, it’s important to consider your options. Basically, if you have more excess solar than the export limit, you’ll either need to:

Find ways to consume the excess power that you generate;
Invest in a solar battery storage system; or
Accept the fact you have excess solar power that’ll go to waste.

How many people will be affected?

What a great question! As noted at the start, only new solar customers in South Australia will be affected. SAPN has said that they are expecting less than about 2% of all new solar power systems to be affected by these changes. If you don’t do percentages, that’s 2 in 100… so they’re pretty good odds if you’re still on the fence because of this. The total number of customers expected to play a part in this trial is around 800.