Understanding bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) Charging
Bidirectional charging simply means that energy can flow both to and from your electric vehicle (EV) battery. This exciting technology opens up a range of possibilities including:
- To help balance energy production and consumption.
- Using it to power a home or business at times of peak energy demand, and thereby avoiding peak electricity pricing.
- Using the battery to power a home or business during a power outage.
The usage can be broadly categorised as:
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)
Allows your EV to send power back to the electricity grid, helping to balance energy supply and demand.
Vehicle-to-Home (V2H)
Enables your EV to power your home or business, potentially reducing energy costs and providing backup during outages.
Vehicle-to-Load (V2L)
A feature in some EVs that lets you use the car's battery to directly power external appliances via onboard outlets.
For more information on V2G and V2H technology in Australia, refer to the National Roadmap for Bidirectional EV Charging from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
What is possible for V2G today
An energy system that is V2G capable will require a charger with a bidirectional inverter that complies with relevant Australian standards, a compatible EV and connection to the grid which adheres to the requirements of the network provider.
SA Power Networks was the first electricity distributor in Australia to allow network connection of V2G EV chargers outside of trial conditions. There is no need to be on a trial or ascertain exemptions if the connection meets all the requirements as outlined below.
What is needed to install a bidirectional inverter on SA Power Networks' network
Picture: Ingredients for a V2G setup.
CEC Listing
The Clean Energy Council maintains a list of inverters which have shown evidence that they meet the required standards for grid connection in Australia.
All distribution networks in Australia rely on this list to support compliance and network safety. Any grid-connected inverter installed in Australia should be on this list.
OTR Listing
The South Australian Government’s Office of the Technical Regulator (OTR) is proactively addressing the growing demand for energy from EVs by mandating new requirements for residential EV chargers. Starting July 1, 2024, all chargers in South Australian homes must be capable of demand response, meaning they can adjust charging rates up or down, in response to third party signals. This guideline seeks to empower consumers to optimise energy usage, benefit from off-peak electricity rates, and incorporate renewable energy sources like solar and batteries.
Any EV charger installed in homes in South Australia, including bidirectional chargers, should be on this list. For more information, and a recording of their industry webinar, visit the Department of Energy and Mining website.
SA Power Networks Embedded Generation Compliance
All EV chargers installed on the network in South Australia should follow the SA Power Networks EV charger installation requirements.
This includes completing a pre-installation application for the device via our portal.
In the absence of specific requirements for bidirectional EVs, bidirectional EV chargers, including inverters capable of V2G, are currently treated by SA Power Networks as battery energy storage systems (BESS). As they are considered embedded generation devices, they must follow the SA Power Networks Embedded Generation installation requirements.
For inverters with capacity not exceeding 30kVA, they must adhere to the TS129 technical standards, which includes maximum total battery inverter capacity (including bidirectional inverters) and phase balancing requirements.
Site dynamic and Flexible Exports compliance
The South Australian Government’s Office of the Technical Regulator requires grid-connected exporting inverters to be capable of remote communications via the Distributed Energy Resources guidelines.
As per this guideline, from 1 July 2023, each new installation of inverter connected generators must include the capability to monitor and manage all electricity generating plant on site to keep within a sitewide export limit and have that export limit updated remotely (typically by the relevant Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP)). CSIP-AUS (Formally SA HB:218) is the communications protocol used by DNSPs in Australia to communicate this export limit, and compliance with this standard is required by the guidelines above.
Bidirectional EV chargers and Battery Energy Storage Systems are currently exempt from this requirement.
In future, it is likely that sites with multiple exporting inverters (e.g. a site with both solar PV and a bidirectional charger) would need to be able to collectively keep within the sitewide export limit. There are several possible architectures for this, for example a single hybrid smart inverter, a collection of inverters controlled by a master inverter, or with local device coordination via a site gateway device.
Frequently asked questions
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions below.
SA Power Networks does not have additional certifications for device approvals.
We refer to the Clean Energy Council approved inverter list for bidirectional chargers. Note that all EV chargers (including bidirectional / V2G) must also be on the South Australian Government Technical Regulator approved devices list.
If your charger is not correctly showing on the list, please contact Industry Enquiries via email: customerservice@sapowernetworks.com.au
SA Power Networks' connection assessments treat bidirectional/V2G EV chargers the same as battery inverters. As such, all requirements for batteries and embedded generation also apply to V2G chargers.
Read the Solar and Other Generators page for the various requirements and processes for applying to connect embedded generators, which vary depending on the size of the equipment.