Ergon and Energex have rewritten their rules on EV charging in Queensland, so properties running on a single-phase supply can now charge ahead at a full 7kW capacity.
Previously, EV owners were hamstrung by an archaic 20 Amp/4.6 kW limit or controlled load tariffs, but authorities have realised the network rules sorely needed updating.
Full Speed Charging Was Off Peak Only
Full-sized 32 Amp/7 kW EV chargers were permitted, but only if fed by a dedicated circuit from the utility meter. This produced a perverse situation where the EV charger wasn’t connected to a customer’s solar supply, and they were livid about paying coal-fired prices when they had ample solar available.
Enforcement Effectively Banned Solar Charging
Queenslanders on a single phase, who wanted to charge any time of the day or night, had only one option: no more than 20amps or 4.6kW.
An electrician could limit the circuit with a 20A circuit breaker and a setting inside the wall charger. Que the surprise when Energy Queensland began clarifying the rules, specifically to stop people installing a charger that wasn’t factory limited. They effectively banned anytime EV charging unless it was 2kW or less.
Sharing The Load; Financial and Electrical
Recognising the need for a better solution, Queensland has introduced two new managed connection arrangements employing smart technology capable of dynamically adjusting the power supply to EV chargers based on real-time grid demand.
This means network operators can throttle EV charge rates when the grid is struggling. Conversely, during off-peak times, it can allow for maximum charging capacity.
Smart management is a more sustainable and cost-effective use of our energy infrastructure, ensuring that the grid can accommodate growing EVs without requiring extensive and expensive upgrades.
Proper Managed Connections
The new regime is designed to let you charge an EV with your own solar and let the network handle the heavy lifting during high-demand periods. It’s a win-win: you charge your EV your way, and Energy Queensland ensures the grid stays reliable and ready for everyone.
- Basic active management
Available from 21 February 2024, for customers who want to connect a dedicated EV charger to a primary tariff. It means you can use your own solar power when charging or utilise time-of-use tariffs. Like a conventional controlled load, it can temporarily cut power to your EV charger during those sweltering afternoons when everyone’s cooking dinner, blasting air conditioners, and the network is sweating bullets. 1 - Dynamic connection,
A straight anytime supply with smart network demand management during peak times. Dynamic connections mean your EV charger directly converses with the electricity network. Imagine they’re texting back and forth, adjusting how much power your charger can pull based on how busy the network is. If the grid is sweating, your charger might dial down to use as little as 1.5kW, but on a good day, it can rev up to 15kW. 2Again, this lets you hook up your EV charger to use your own solar power or snag cheaper rates with Time Of Use retail offers.
Energizing Queensland’s Electric Vehicle Transition
With 90% of our transport fuels currently imported, gearing up to secure our own fuel supply means our energy infrastructure requires a forward-thinking approach to accommodate the electrification task. Queensland was a laggard on this front, but the new rules open up possibilities, including flexible time-of-use tariffs, further optimizing energy consumption and costs.
Hold Your Horses
As of this minute, there’s a glaring absence of devices that meet Energy Queensland standards. They’ve thrown on a bar tab and don’t have any beer.
When this minor oversight is sorted, Energex will add an application form for dynamic EVSE connections to Energex’s EV Charging page.
After seeing what Queensland did with the GSD decision, I do despair sometimes; however, this flexible EV charging scheme shows a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Hopefully manufacturers are scurrying to get their chargers through the Ergon and Energex doors for approval.
Footnotes
- This solution isn’t generally available to the Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) network and some other fringe of grid areas. NMI search tool can be used to check availability. For terms, see Audio Frequency Load Control (AFLC) (PDF 372.1 kb). See also Queensland Electricity Connection Manual (QECM) clause 8.10.5 ↩
- See Active Device Management for EVSE (PDF 314.7 kb) for more information. Also, see Queensland Electricity Connection Manual (QECM) clause 8.10.4. ↩
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Thanks for update.
With a Sungrow hybrid inverter and battery, I would like to know how I can reconfigure so EV isn’t charged from battery when there is insufficient solar. I suppose a CatchPower Relay might do it. But surely there is an IsolarCloud ap setting that I am missing that can limit battery usage. But then again maybe not. It seems designed to limit householder adjustment of anything.
Hi Neil,
If you have an EVSE that does dynamic solar harvesting or “smart charging” then it should measure export and divert it into the car without the hard switching on and off using CatchControl. To make it work you can connect it upstream of the Sungrow meter. Sadly the monitoring won’t measure what the car is using though. It may be worth having a bypass switch so that the EV could be charged during an extended grid outage, or perhaps just put out of reach from the battery during winter?
Reach out to Sungrow and ask when their EVSE is available, I’d expect that would be fully integrated.
Hi Neil, There’s an explainer here ;
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/ev-draining-home-battery/
The Victron EVSE has an “Automatic” mode which should use only excess solar production. Unfortunately it won’t work for me, flicking back to “Manual” mode less than a second after I tap the button. This stuff is a bit new for the installers, it seems, so we’re sneaking up on it.
In the interim, I watch battery drain on the remote console, and throttle the 7 kW charge when the sun dips toward sunset. Being off-grid, I’m not keen to rob a lot from the battery.
Today, 10 kWh went into the HWS, 15 kWh into the EV since returning at 4 p.m., and not much more than a kWh into the battery to top up overnight consumption by 9 a.m. Another couple of kWh for daytime consumption. This off-grid stuff can be made to work, even with an EV and resistive HWS, given enough panels. Data point: The first half of the day was entirely overcast, yet more than half of the HWS 15 kWh was generated then.
Even Renew magazine is catching up with what folk have been doing for a few years now; 300 – 400% array oversizing w.r.t. daily needs for off-grid – good for overcast, good for winter.
Queensland Summer Time, one hour and 10 years behind the rest of the country!
Will they be using OCPP? Plenty of EVSE’s support OCPP.
Yes, OCPP will be key to dynamic EVSE load management, it won’t connect directly to Energex but we’re (industry like ours) working on integrating our CMS with Energex to meet the requirements.
Hopefully you’ll see solutions appearing in the next 1-2 months
Will it be a physical add on or a software layer or a completely separate charger which will leave existing owners out in the cold?
We’re glad Energex has finally allowed proper solar charging.
Unfortunately Energex/ Ergon really doesn’t communicate well with industry on what they are implementing. However we are still hoping to have our first dynamic EVSE (as part of our LINCHR range) available in the next month or so. This will allow throttling of units rather than just switching them off, which is a far preferable option in our minds.
Sure wish Ergon Energy would lift their Solar Export limit to 10 kW like Victoria have done.
thats a default anyone can have figure. you can apply for more. or go 3 phase and you can have 5kw per phase by default. once battery uptake increases the export limits will increase.
and it doenst stop you having a 15kw system on single phase you just have to limit your export. so if your electrical consumption or storage capacity is enough you can install a large system and still be single phase.
most current model inverters can do export limiting.
Hi Chris,
Most DNSPs work on an allowable inverter capacity of no more than 10kW per phase, with 5kW export limiting and not more than 5kW of imbalance between phases.
Some may offer exceptions, others are hard arses so they won’t let you connect more. A 5kW solar inverter and a 5kW AC coupled battery could be the limit.
Some like SAPN allow 10kW pv solar and additional 10kW battery inverter, but they count a hybrid toward both totals.
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/grid-connection/
Yep more red tape, we went off grid 5yrs ago and installed 2 x 7kW fast chargers in our garage, so that both mine and my wife’s EVs could fast charge at 14kw at the same time and at any time of the day.
Need to look at the numbers, the basic version is currently only available. At 10kWhr EV demand and current ERGON charges for the tariff, you would have to self-power the EV by at least 60% ie 6kWhr to break even with the controlled tariff option. You also have time limits on the new option. So, with says 6.6kW roof top PV, this will be a few hours using ChargeHQ for your Tesla. I will wait and see.
Didn’t Qld pull a similar stunt when HSW were initially installed. For the Off-Peak Power that people topped up their systems overnight, whomever in Qld changed that to full rates.
Anthony, I’m a non-technical consumer and appreciate the clarity of this article.
You wrote: “Hopefully manufacturers are scurrying to get their chargers through the Ergon and Energex doors for approval.” Do you have any information or predictions about how long the approval process is likely to take?
Sorry Sue,
I don’t have updates to hand but I’d be sure that if you rang Energy Queensland or trawled their website you’ll find a list.
Or have a rummage there for more info :
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/search/?addsearch=ev%20charger%20table