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Projects, Progress & People

A lot is happening across Australia’s renewables industry.

Thank you for being part of the journey.

Your YZ Team

A Hybrid Milestone: From Grid Roadblocks to 5.3.4A

We’re excited to share that YZ recently helped secure a 5.3.4A letter and agreed Generator Performance Standards (GPS) for an AC-coupled solar and battery hybrid project in Victoria. This represents a major connection milestone and clears the way for the project to progress towards registration and construction.

YZ stepped into the connection-management role to bring structure and momentum to a process involving the project owner, power systems consultants, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), the network service provider (NSP) and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). We coordinated the close-out of the issues tracker, progressed GPS wording, managed responses to wide-area study findings and power-quality comments, and helped establish a practical pathway to resolve remaining matters during the R1 / registration phase.

Complex hybrid projects rarely stall because of one technical issue alone. Progress depends on actively managing interfaces, responsibilities, decisions, and deadlines across multiple organisations. If your project is facing connection delays, unresolved technical comments or uncertainty about the pathway to 5.3.4A or registration, get in touch with YZ to explore how we can accelerate outcomes.

AEMO wants to introduce a self-declared registration exemption process.
30 MW sounds generous, but is 20 GWh per year the number that really matters?

The proposed changes would simplify the exemption pathway for systems under 30 MW that are not eligible for automatic exemption, moving from a merits assessment to a self-declaration against nine criteria.
But the existing 20 GWh annual export limit stays, with tightened drafting. Plus, the Network Service Provider (NSP) must still endorse the exemption.

So who is this pathway really for?
For projects with substantial on-site consumption, such as industrial loads or data centres, the 30 MW threshold can be much more meaningful because only surplus generation is exported.
For conventional renewables projects that export most of their generation, the 20 GWh per year limit remains the practical constraint.

The more significant change may be for BESS.
The proposed threshold for systems containing batteries (bidirectional units) increases from 5 MW to 15 MW, intended to provide a more technology-neutral approach and better recognise systems with limited export volumes.

AEMO is inviting submissions on the proposed changes to the registration exemption process until 5:00 pm (Melbourne time) on 13 October 2026, with a stakeholder information session on 6 October.

We would be interested to hear from you.
Does 15 MW unlock BESS projects that were previously designed to be <5 MW?
For those in the sub-30 MW space: does self-declaration actually save you time or de-risk your project?

The consultation paper and submission details are available here.

Renewybeers: where the renewables community connects

What started as an informal gathering for Newcastle’s renewable energy community has grown into a meeting point for people from across the Hunter and around Australia.
Renewybeers brings together people working in wind, solar, energy storage and emerging energy, alongside consultants, engineers, students and renewables enthusiasts. The format stays deliberately simple: good conversations, new connections and a drink together.
Increasingly, those connections are turning into something more. Introductions, collaborations, new business relationships, new career paths, and people finding the specialist expertise their projects need.
Australia’s energy transition will need many different skills and businesses working together. Building those connections is part of making it happen.
The final Renewybeers of 2026 is on Thursday, 12 November.
Whether you are a long-standing industry professional, just starting out in renewables, or simply curious about what is happening across the region, come along and meet the people behind the projects.
Tickets are free but limited, and registration is required. More than 200 people have registered for each of our events so far this year, so places go quickly. Registration opens soon. Join the Renewybeers mailing list here to be notified the moment it does, so that you can secure your spot straight away.