May 2, 2019

Forum tackles the challenges associated with renewable energy in electricity grids

Industry experts to address issues of electricity supply at a time of unprecedented change

The Australia electricity supply industry is undergoing unprecedented change driven by the rapid increase in renewable energy, such as wind and solar.

It is a transformation that brings with it a number of challenges. As multiple new renewable energy sources are connected to the electricity grid they can affect the quality and reliability of power supply, causing problems for both network operators as well as consumers.

Those challenges, and the solutions to them, will be the focus of the inaugural Australian Electricity Industry Forum at the University of Wollongong (UOW) on Friday 3 May, hosted by UOW’s Australian Power Quality and Reliability Centre (APQRC) in conjunction with Engineers Australia.

Recognising the need for collaboration, the APQRC and Engineers Australia are bringing together key industry stakeholders and engineering specialists from around the country to encourage discussions on the short-term issues facing our electricity supply and the best ways to overcome them.

Technical Director of the APQRC Professor Sarath Perera, from UOW’s School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering, said the rapid transformation of electricity supply highlighted the need for ongoing dialogue between industry, university researchers and other stakeholders.

“We are providing an opportunity for industry and researchers to engage in debate relating to the future of electricity supply in Australia,” Professor Perera said.

The forum will conclude with a tour of the world-class research facilities at the University of Wollongong and will also showcase the many electrical power engineering research and development projects that are currently underway.

ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN POWER QUALITY AND RELIABILITY CENTRE

The Australian Power Quality and Reliability Centre is a centre of excellence for research, education and consulting in distribution and transmission system power quality, reliability and renewable energy systems.

The Power Quality and Reliability Centre was established in 1996 as Australia's first Power Quality Centre. Since then industry funding has continued to support the Centre, contributing close to $6 million of sponsorship over the past 23 years.

The focus of the Centre is to work in conjunction with industry to improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply for the benefit of the wider community.