UPDATE VIC SOLAR
Victoria’s Emergency Backstop Mechanism
From 1 October 2024 there will be changes to how solar systems connect to the grid.
What is VIC Emergency Backstop mechanism?
The VIC Emergency Backstop Mechanism is designed to control the amount of power fed back into the grid in rare or emergency situations. This will make sure that solar exports can be safely managed and will prevent blackouts when there is too much power in the grid. Using the emergency backstop is a last resort and will not impact the supply of electricity to your home.
These changes were introduced on 1 October 2024, meaning how your new or upgraded solar systems connect to the grid have changed. Your inverter may experience a pause in exporting power until fully connected by your energy distributor (United Energy, Powercor, or Citipower).
What does this mean for you?
Every inverter installed after 1 October 2024 requires a software update, which places the inverter into default control. Until your system is compliant with the emergency backstop, your solar system will keep generating energy for use in your home, but any power export is temporarily placed on default control until you receive final confirmation from your distributor.
This process from can take anywhere between 7 – 21 days.
what do you have to do?
When you install your system with us, we run all connection checks on our end and ensure our inverters meet compliance standards.
The emergency backstop will only affect recent installs or if you have upgraded your system – if for some reason your older install is showing issues, contact your installer or retailer.
To avoid any issues, use trusted and reputable solar installers who understand these changes. Your inverter must be compliant and be able to connect to the internet – don’t install anything that is not compliant or you won’t be able to export power to the grid.
You can find more at Energy Victoria.
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