We’re passionate about creating a sustainable future for our community. That's why we're constantly working on new ways to grow our network
Did you know that one in three households in Western Australia has rooftop solar? This represents almost 2 gigawatts of renewable energy generation, which collectively is the largest source of electricity generation on the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). As we continue to move towards greater renewable generation and integration of technologies like rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles, we need to expand and evolve our network to enable decarbonisation and increase its capacity.
That's where our Undergrounding program comes in. Undergrounding cables increase capacity through the use of larger rated cables, an increase in the number of circuits, and the use of more efficient conductors that reduce voltage variation. This allows us to manage load more efficiently, facilitate new network designs that increase the capability to accommodate higher future energy demands of customers in the local transformer, and improve hosting capacity for residential rooftop solar connections. We can also use new designs that can more flexibly adjust to re-route low voltage power supplies if needed.
As more solar systems with integrated battery storage come online, growth in consumer-owned distributed energy resources (DER), such as rooftop solar panels, in-home batteries, and electric vehicles, will increase further. The widespread uptake of rooftop solar creates challenges and opportunities for the delivery of electricity, but we're ready to tackle these challenges and embrace the opportunities.
Underground power technology is a key component of Virtual Power Plants for a greener future. We're dedicated to sustainability and excited to explore innovative solutions. Keep an eye out for updates, and thanks for joining our journey.