Next steps agreed on battery storage standards

Standards Australia recently brought together a group of senior industry and government leaders to discuss the introduction of residential on-site battery storage standards in Australia.

The attendees agreed on a way forward that will see Standards Australia, industry and government working together to fast-track the development and adoption of appropriate product safety standards. The agreed standards framework includes the expected adoption of product standards developed by the IEC and UL to complement the installation standard already in development by the Australian standards committee. It was agreed that provisions contained in the draft installation standard related to residential building regulation, beyond product placement, will be removed. Instead, industry and government will work together to develop appropriate building requirements that recognise current installation practices for battery systems that meet the international product standards. These changes will be subject to further community consultation.

The Clean Energy Council (CEC) and its members have been calling for the removal of a proposed requirement for AS/NZS 5139 that would be overly restrictive and require batteries to be installed outside of a house. Clean Energy Council Executive General Manager of Installation Integrity Sandy Atkins said, “The decision to review this requirement is an important one for the future of the Australian consumer storage industry. While consumer safety is paramount for the industry, such requirements are unnecessary if battery units meet appropriate international product standards and are installed by an accredited installer.”

Roundtable attendees acknowledged the substantial work already undertaken by the Standards Australia technical committee, together with the importance of the development of an industry best practice guide being facilitated by the Electrical Safety Office of the Queensland Government, to support safe installation of battery systems. Standards Australia is committed to fast-tracking these projects over the next three months.

Standards Australia Chief Executive Dr Bronwyn Evans said, “At the start of the meeting today, I asked the question ‘Are standards needed at all?’ I was pleased that there is unquestionable support for standards, developed by the right people, in the right way.

“There was unanimous agreement in the room of the need to both encourage the uptake of new technology and manage community safety expectations. The clear path forward set today will see us working hard and working together to get the relevant standards in place as soon as we can.”

The roundtable agreed to meet again as the work progresses to ensure the broad support and alignment remains. Standards Australia will keep stakeholders informed of progress in the development of the documents, and stakeholders will be invited to submit comments during further rounds of consultation.