THE ACT government is putting $1.5 million towards building a new lab at ANU, which is expected to help drive Australia’s low carbon energy future. 

The Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Lab will develop technology and software to test and monitor renewable energy resources such as solar panels, batteries and wind generators.

Dr Bjorn Sturmberg, who will lead the DER Lab, says it’ll provide a state-of-the art testing facility, which mirrors the energy grid for industry, researchers and regulators.

“This lab will help develop and test the technologies and control systems needed for Australia’s future energy system,” Dr Sturmberg says.

“The DER Lab will provide the Australian research and development community with a fail-safe power system in which to rapidly, efficiently, and securely develop and test the technologies and systems before deploying them.

“The technologies developed in the DER Lab will lower consumers’ energy bills and create the secure, reliable and low-carbon energy system of tomorrow.”

The facility also builds on the capabilities of ANU’s Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, led by Dr Lachlan Blackhall.

“The DER Lab is a great example of how industry, academia and government can work closely together to achieve important outcomes on a national scale,” Dr Blackhall says.

“Australia’s electricity system is undergoing its most significant transformation in a century – moving away from a centralised system based a small number of large generators to one that is distributed, decarbonized and digitised.

“Navigating our energy system through such a transition is challenging, particularly if the only way to test new technologies is in the live grid and often in the homes of people.”

ANU Provost Prof Mike Calford thanked the ACT government for its major investment, saying:  “The DER Lab will extend the ACT’s leadership in accelerating Australia’s renewable energy economy and industry, and help set up Canberra as the epicentre for this increasingly important field.

“The DER Lab will not only develop solutions that renew our energy industry and use – it will help make a major difference to the lives of all Australians and safeguard our environment.

“It will bring jobs to the local economy and create a vibrant, shared space for the next-generation of energy R&D.”