On 12 May 2025 Ausgrid lodged an application for a trial waiver for a project called the Community Power Network. Ausgrid’s proposal is the first trial application under the policy-led sandboxing approach launched by the AER in February 2025.
Ausgrid’s Community Power Network concept involves the accelerated deployment of Consumer Energy Resources and Distributed Energy Resources, in a local network area, planned and owned by Ausgrid. It seeks to pool surplus solar from rooftops into batteries to both redistribute during the evening peak, and to trade on the wholesale market to generate profit, which Ausgrid proposes to share with trial customers.
The trial is proposed to be conducted in two regions of NSW: Charmhaven, a largely residential area on the Central Coast, and Mascot/Botany, an area in inner Sydney, which has a mix of commercial and industrial customers, as well as apartment buildings. This trial is expected to involve around 32,000 customers.
