Certification and listing requirements
The NSW Government’s Emergency Backstop Mechanism will require all new and upgrading solar inverters to have a software communication client compliant with the Australian Standard ‘Common Smart Inverter Profile – Australia’ (CSIP-AUS). From mid-2026 the version of CSIP-AUS in force will be Standards Australia Technical Specification SA TS 5573:2025.
A list of compliant inverters and their applicable software communication client/s can be found on the Clean Energy Council website.
Ausgrid will not require original equipment manufacturers (OEM) or aggregators to specifically test and certify their products against our network’s utility server.
Onboarding
OEMs and aggregators operating in NSW and the ACT must onboard with each relevant distribution network before a CSIP-AUS compliant inverter can be installed and commissioned. The onboarding process will enable OEMs and aggregators to receive the digital certificates necessary for an inverter’s software communications client to communicate with Ausgrid’s utility server.
This process will be common across all NSW and ACT distribution networks. Download the NSW/ACT Utility Interconnection Handbook for detailed information about the onboarding process.
The onboarding process includes:
- Application: The OEM or aggregator must complete this form: Utility Server Access Agreement Part A: Company details.
- Preliminary approval
- Basic communication test
- Full application: The applicant must complete Part B of the ‘Utility Server Access Agreement’ in the NSW/ACT Utility Interconnection Handbook. This includes declarations that the applicant has read, understood, and will abide by:
- The Common Cyber Security Requirements for DER.
- The NSW/ACT Common Conditions of Connection to CSIP-AUS Utility Servers (document currently under development).
- Approval and onboarding
Further questions?
To find out the latest project information, including timing and key dates, visit the NSW Government’s Emergency Backstop Mechanism and CER Installer Portal webpages.
Technology providers, OEMs or aggregators with further questions on the use of CSIP-AUS for the NSW Emergency Backstop Mechanism in the Ausgrid area can also email csip-aus@ausgrid.com.au.