WESTERN POWER — SOLAR INSTALLATIONS —
REGIONS
589. Hon
JAMES HAYWARD to the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister
for Energy:
I refer to the installation of solar
systems at rural and remote residential properties.
(1) Is the
minister aware of regulations introduced by Western Power in February 2022 that
require solar installers to reduce the capacity of grid connections in certain
circumstances in rural and remote locations?
(2) How many
complaints has Western Power received in relation to those regulations since
they have been introduced?
(3) What is
the real-life impact of a residential property being limited to a 20-ampere
circuit breaker in terms of the ability to use multiple appliances
simultaneously?
(4) Is the
minister concerned that rural and remote customers are being disincentivised to
install solar systems as a result of system capacity limitations that do not
exist in urban areas?
Hon
MATTHEW SWINBOURN replied:
I thank the member for some notice
of the question. The following information has been provided to me by the
Minister for Energy.
(1) Western Power has not changed
the supply allocation or grid capacity.
(2) Western Power
has received seven complaints related to 2022 technical rule changes that have
introduced a requirement for the installation of main switch circuit-breakers
in certain circumstances.
(3) The standard
electrical supply allocation for rural connections is 32 amperes, single phase.
Some rural customers have a total of 40 amperes, split over two phases. This is
substantially more than the actual maximum demand used for most homes, particularly
given that there is usually some diversity of usage of household appliances at
any given time.
Consumers
wanting to increase their load should firstly make an assessment against the
standard connection service capability and the electrical infrastructure
installed for their home. If the set-up is inadequate, the Australian Standard Wiring Rules (AS/NZS 3000)
specify how to manage site maximum demand, including the use of a circuit-breaker
main switch.
(4) Although the
supply allocation has not changed, the requirement for a main switch
circuit-breaker is triggered when a new circuit is added, such as when solar
panels are installed. The Minister for Energy has
asked Western Power to assess the opportunities, risks and consequences of
alternative options to adapt to the changing energy needs of customers
and is expecting an update later this year.