Featured in Go big or go home – 11-2020

Down in the weeds of Australia’s distribution networks

Australian electricity wires are awash with sunshine, such that network operators have threatened to up the drawbridge on further rooftop connections, while limiting rooftop PV exports to the grid. But data streams hold the key to unlocking surprising existing capacity, stabilizing voltage, and living the Aussie dream.
Image: Roo72/Wikimedia

Neil Horrocks recounts suburban folklore: The story of the short-armed linesperson, who connects every new or renovated house in the street to the wire that’s easiest to reach once they’re up the pole. In Australia we typically have four electricity wires, swaying with magpies and cockatoos, running down our streets. Three are used for connections, …

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