Solar installers must make all new and upgraded rooftop solar systems backstop-enabled from late-2026 and register them in the NSW Government’s Consumer Energy Resources (CER) Installer Portal. Existing rooftop solar systems will not be affected.

NSW Emergency Backstop Mechanism requirements will be rolled out gradually by postcode in parallel with the CER Installer Portal.

Where a premises lacks reliable internet connectivity, new equipment must still be CSIP-AUS compliant. However, a low static export limit (to be specified within the connection agreement) must be configured by the installer at the time of installation and will apply until connectivity is available.

To find out the latest information about these initiatives, including timing and key dates, visit the NSW Government’s Emergency Backstop Mechanism and CER Installer Portal web pages.

‘Backstop-enabled’ rooftop systems can communicate with the distribution network’s utility server through the internet and receive signals that temporarily reduce exports or, pause generation when AEMO instructs an emergency backstop.

A rooftop solar installation will be considered backstop enabled if it:

contains CSIP-AUS compliant equipment which is listed by the Clean Energy Council and is supported by Essential Energy.

passes a capability test confirming connectivity to Essential Energy’s utility server via the internet. This test is conducted using the NSW CER Installer Portal.

Choice of flexible export limits

Customers with backstop enabled systems can choose between flexible export limits and low fixed export limits. Flexible export limits can allow more solar energy to be exported when there is capacity in the local network, while fixed limits apply at the same level throughout the day.

For more information on fixed and flexible export limits, visit the solar page.

The CER Installer Portal will be a single, smart digital compliance platform for new and upgraded rooftop installations up to (and including) 200kW. Use of the portal will be phased in from late-2026.

The portal will ensure that all new and upgraded rooftop solar systems up to (and including) 200kW:

• include solar inverters that comply with a new standard (CSIP-AUS) enabling them to be ‘backstop enabled’
• are accurately registered with the NSW Government, relevant distribution network provider and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)
• can undergo a capability test validating they are ‘backstop enabled’.

For more information visit the NSW Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

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 late-2026 the version of CSIP-AUS in force will be Standards Australia Technical Specification SA TS 5573:2025.

Essential Energy will not require original equipment manufacturers (OEM) or aggregators to specifically test and certify their products against our network’s utility server.

As well as selecting an inverter that is CSIP-AUS compliant, OEMs and aggregators operating in NSW and the ACT must onboard with each relevant distribution network before the 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 Essential Energy’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:

1. Application: The OEM or aggregator must complete this form
2. Preliminary approval
3. Basic communication test
4. 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)
5. Approval and onboarding.

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 Essential Energy area can also email [email protected].

Published documents

• NSW/ACT Utility Interconnection Handbook
• Common Cyber Security Requirements for DER

Useful links

• Clean Energy Council – Inverters with software communication clients
• Australian National University – National CSIP-AUS testing and certification service
• About CSIP-AUS
• Standards Australia Store – SA TS 5573:2025
• NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water