ARENA-funded smart charging projects are exploring innovative methods and technologies to manage EV charging. The reports below provide insights into our managed charging trials, as well as preliminary results on program efficacy.

Image: Electric vehicle charging

Read AGL’s Report  

Read Origin Energy's Report  

The ANU and ActewAGL have partnered to explore the economic and grid benefits of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services. The latest knowledge from the project assesses the state of road vehicle electrification and shares performance results on the first V2G charger in Australia.

Image: REVS diagram
 

Read the Electric Vehicles and The Grid report 

Read the Grid Performance of a V2G Capable EV Charger Report 

The Leichhardt Bus Depot in Sydney is trialling 40 electric buses coupled with smart charging software, on-site solar PV and battery storage. Zenobē’s unique solution is enabling the future of public transport by removing the financial, technical and operational risks alongside project partner, Transgrid. The first phase of the project saw the delivery of 31 buses and installation of 36 chargers at the depot. Zenobē shares lessons learnt from the initial construction phase in their first report.

Image: Electric bus, part of Leichhardt bus depot's electric fleet. Credit: Zenobe

Read the report

ARENA is supporting the roll out of 403 fast chargers through the first round of the $25.4 million Future Fuels Fund. To ease range anxiety, the charging stations will deliver between 50kW to 350kW in 14 of Australia’s most populous cities. In the first set of reports, the projects outline lessons learnt in planning, software and hardware options, and future-proofing considerations.

Image: EV charging station

Read Ampol’s Lessons Learnt Report 

Read Evie’s Ultrafast EV Charging Project Report 

Read Evie’s Future Fuels Fund Project Report 

Read Engie’s Lessons Learnt Report 

Read ChargeFox’s Lessons Learnt Report 

Distributed Energy Resources 

Project Symphony is piloting the orchestration of customer-owned distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar, batteries and major appliances to participate in a future energy market. The first series of reports provides learnings and insights into many aspects of the project including engaging aggregators, valuing services provided, and the functional and non-functional requirements for the Distributed System Operator, Distribution Market Operator and Aggregator Platforms. Read the reports:

• Platform Functional and Non-Functional Requirements Report
• Distribution Constraints Optimisation Algorithm Report
• Aggregator Report
• DER Service Valuation Report
• DER Services Report

The Rheem Active Hot Water Control project aims to introduce new and flexible options for grid management by testing ways to manage when hot water heaters are charged. The second lessons learnt report provides insights into customer-related learnings, particularly customer behaviours, key barriers to customer participation and receptiveness to incentives.

• Read the SA Smart Network Project Lessons Learnt report

Pumped Hydro Energy Storage

The Oven Mountain Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (OMPS PHES) project will undertake a study analysing the benefits of a 600 MW ‘off-river’ PHES facility in the New England Renewable Energy Zone, with up to 12 hours storage. The report provides interim insights resulting from the study to date.

• Read OMPS New England PHES Benefits Study.

Genex’s Kidston project has completed the installation of a 50 MW Solar Farm, and is in stage 2, which is seeing the construction of 250 MW pumped hydro. In its second lessons learnt report Genex details from transmission line development and lessons learnt in respect to the EPC Contractor.

• Read Genex’s report

Solar PV R&D

UNSW Antimony Chalcogenide: Top Cell Alternative for Silicon Tandem Cells research project aims to reduce the cost of silicon (Si) based tandem solar cells by developing an earth-abundant, restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)-compliant antimony chalcogenide top cell.

• Read UNSW Antimony Chalcogenide: Top Cell Alternative for Silicon Tandem Cells Mid Report.

UNSW Development of Novel Hydrogen Trapping Techniques project aims to develop new recently patented techniques for trapping and controlling hydrogen within highly defective silicon to enable higher solar cell efficiencies while using cheaper silicon wafer sources. In its final report UNSW summarises its research findings.

• Read UNSW Development of Novel Hydrogen Trapping Techniques Final Report.

Hybrid Technologies

The Agnew Renewable Energy Microgrid Project demonstrates a new type of hybrid microgrid at Gold Fields Australia’s Agnew gold mine in Western Australia. The microgrid is forecast to deliver an annual average of 54% renewable energy to the Agnew mine and reduce the mine’s carbon emissions by some 40,000 t CO2 e/year. In its final knowledge sharing report, Gold Fields summarises the findings and outcomes achieved from the project.

• Read Gold Fields Agnew Gold Mine Final Report.

Visit ARENA's Knowledge Bank for more.