Welcome to the September 2022 edition of The Fuse. Spring is in the air, and what better way to welcome the season of renewal, than an edition filled with new tools and features.

In this edition:

• Flexible Exports Solar Retailers and Installer Survey Outcome 
• New Flexible Exports eligibility checker 
• Flexible Exports Case study 
• eCoC and SmartInstall streamlined 
• What’s new in SmartApply & SmartInstall 
• SA Power Networks attends the SEC SA Summit  
• New look for REX Portal login page 
• Reminder – Updated Technical Standards 

If you have any questions or feedback, please contact New Energy Services on 13 12 61 or email newenergyservices@sapowernetworks.com.au.

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Flexible Exports Solar Retailers and Installer Survey Outcome 

Thanks to the 100 solar retailers and installers who provided feedback on Flexible Exports in June.  

It was great to hear that most understood and supported the Flexible Exports concept. Some concerns were expressed regarding practical installation challenges. Respondents also wanted a wider range of Flexible Exports compatible equipment to help maximise customer benefits, while making it easier to sell and install the solar systems. 

We’ve considered your feedback as we continually improve our process and Flexible Exports rollout approach. Some features in this edition are a direct result of the feedback provided. Your feedback was also provided to technology providers. 

We’ll continue to engage proactively with the industry in the lead up to the commencement of the SA Government’s Dynamic Export Regulations on 1st December, and we’ll be in touch in the coming weeks with our planned rollout of Flexible Export connection option.

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New Flexible Exports eligibility checker 

Checking if your customer is eligible for a Flexible Exports service is now easier than ever. Thanks to industry feedback, our newly developed Eligibility Checker means creating an application in SmartApply is not the only way to see if your customer is eligible for Flexible Exports.  

Available to the public on the SA Power Networks website, the Eligibility Checker is a simple tool that lets both industry and customers search a location for Flexible Exports eligibility. All you need is an address or NMI, and you will be told instantly if the customer is eligible for Flexible Exports. 

Picture: Flexible Exports eligibility checker example screenshot

At this time there is no addition or changes to the suburbs where Flexible Exports is available.

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Flexible Exports Case Study

Based on what we heard in the Flexible Exports Installer Survey, we have developed our first case study of a Flexible Exports customer to illustrate the benefits of Flexible Exports.

Darren is a real Flexible Exports customer and has been kind enough to share his experience and opinions. We hope this real-world example will assist you in your conversations with customers about Flexible Exports.

Read Darren’s case study.

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eCoC and SmartInstall streamlined

In July, the Office of the Technical Regulator (OTR) made some changes to their eCoC system to streamline the process of completing and submitting electrical eCoCs related to Inverters, Batteries, Solar Panels and Non-Inverter Generators. These changes mean that some previously mandatory information fields for these work types are no longer required.

The fields removed include:

• Inverter serial numbers
• Commissioning and decommissioning dates
• Device type

Some changes have also been made to simplify inverter commissioning options and associated wording to align the language used with common terms used in industry.

These changes will simplify the process of completing related eCoCs and reduce the amount of data-entry duplication for data already captured in other places (such as SmartInstall).

These changes are all live for users now. We or the OTR are happy to collect any feedback from industry on the changes.

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What’s new in SmartApply & SmartInstall

We are always looking for new features and improvements to SmartApply. Here are a couple that have recently been introduced:

Export dashboard from SmartApply

You can now export your current view of the SmartApply dashboard. Apply your chosen filters to the dashboard and click the ‘Export’ button

Picture: SmartApply export dashboard screenshot example

Hot tip for Solar Retailers: Click the Approved quick filter and export to self-serve all the sites that need to be closed out in SmartInstall (if installed) or cancelled (if not going ahead).

QR code scanner in SmartInstall

When closing out equipment on site in SmartInstall, instead of typing in the serial number if the serial number is conveyed using a QR code, click the ‘Scan Entry’ button and your mobile device can capture and input the serial number for you.

Picture: SmartInstall Scan Entry example screenshot

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SA Power Networks attends the SEC SA Summit

The Smart Energy Council (SEC) held their State Energy Summit - South Australia on 2 August. This was a great opportunity for industry leaders and all those interested in the SA energy sector to come together, listen, and share about SA’s energy transition.

As a member of the SEC, SA Power Networks was pleased to attend to meet and exchange ideas with industry members and listen to presentations on the topics of:

• Fixing a broken market and accelerating decarbonisation for the next decade
• SA’s grid at the cutting edge
• Renewable hydrogen & electrification of transport
• A smart energy future

Our own Brendon Hampton, Head of Network Strategy, presented at the summit on how SA Power Networks is enabling the clean energy future.

Picture: SA Power Networks Head of Network strategy Brenton Hampton presents a presentation at the Smart Energy Council State Energy Summit.

If there is an industry or community event you would like SA Power Networks to attend, please get in touch by sending an email to newenergyservices@sapowernetworks.com.au.

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New look for REX Portal login page

The REX Portal has undergone an upgrade to provide better security of your data and information. The new look login page and security measures will be effective as of Monday 24 October, 2022. Changes are minimal. When you access the portal, you will see an updated look to the login page.

Picture: New Rex Portal page screenshot example

What do I need to do?

Like before, simply enter your Username and Password to log in.

In the coming months we will be adding an extra security measure. When you log in, you’ll be asked to confirm it’s you with a code sent to the mobile phone number, or email address registered with the account.

Need help?

For more information or help logging in, you can phone the SA Power Networks Service Desk on 1300 796 739 during business hours.

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Reminder – Updated Technical Standards

A reminder that TS130 and TS131 have been replaced with the following technical standards:

• TS132 – Low Voltage Embedded Generation Connection Technical Requirements – Capacity above 30kVA
• TS133 – High Voltage Embedded Generation Connection Technical Requirements
• TS134 – Communication Systems (inc. SCADA) for Embedded Generation

For more details on the release of these new standards, please read our Notice to Industry.

 

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