Impact Report August, 2016 | Page 26

PROGRAM: COGENERATION Cogeneration (producing electricity and useful heat at the same time) offers significant environmental and economic benefits, but back in 2011, ClimateWorks identified there were many barriers making it hard for small and larger urban cogeneration projects to connect to the grid. A project that year convened a broad cross-section of key stakeholders to design solutions to these roadblocks which included recommended changes to the National Energy Market (NEM). By July 2013, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) indicated it would accept many of ClimateWorks’ recommendations and in April 2014, it did just that. “ClimateWorks’ report successfully delivered the first ever customer-led rule change in the national electricity market.” ANNA SKARBEK CEO - CLIMATEWORKS MAY 2015 OCT 2014 New National Electricity Rules (NER) came into effect to improve the process for connecting larger solar installations, co and trigeneration, wind and other technologies to the distribution network. 26 ClimateWorks releases the Implementing the Connecting Embedded Generation Rule Project Outcomes Report. Assessment of distributors’ performance in meeting the new rule requirements found a significant overall improvement since the rule change in October 2014, with 83% of the distributors meeting at least 35 of the 43 requirements (81% compliance).