CSIRO's Clean Energy Centre in Newcastle is the home of a new $11million national program designed to empower consumers to have more control over their electricity usage, save money and ease pressure on the energy grid.
The project aims to drive the development of new technology to support flexible demand for energy.
Flexible demand helps lighten the load on the grid during busy periods, reduce energy costs and lower peak demand.
However, the flexible demand approach is still in the early stages of development and requires new technologies, market processes and ways of engaging with energy users.
"We've been working for a few years now on what we call the data clearing house. It's the digital platform that connects up smart buildings to digital infrastructure where owners can host and manage their building data," Senior Data Scientist Matt Amos said.
"This project is really about maturing that platform and building up the other side of the ecosystem. We want to connect building owners to applications and build an application marketplace. It's very similar to what you have on your on your phone; owners will get access to the service providers that are providing these applications."
The Digital Infrastructure Energy Flexibility pilot team is looking for 200 commercial buildings to connect to the date clearing house.
Electric vehicle chargers, air conditioners and hot and cold storage are the main types of appliances that will benefit from the project.
Of the 200 buildings to be connected, the data clearing house expects to gain access to devices that consume over five megawatts of power from the grid, (up to 0.08 per cent of total demand in NSW). The power usage of these devices can be intelligently controlled to match up with periods of high renewable generation.
"It really stacks up when you have access to all of these small devices across many buildings throughout Australia," Mr Amos said.
The DCH Platform forms part of CSIRO's developing Smart Energy Mission which is focused on building Australia's next generation of integrated and equitable energy systems.
CSIRO's Energy Director, Dr Dietmar Tourbier, said the DIEF project would help improve the viability and uptake in flexible demand, delivering benefits to consumers and industry alike.
"Flexible demand is critical because it ensures grid stability, reduces costs, supports increasing renewable energy integration, and enables a more sustainable and efficient energy system," Dr Tourbier said.
"This project has the potential to create a new ecosystem of technologies and solutions that will give consumers more control over their energy bills and emissions."
