Powering the Future: Dr James Hazelton on Electrify 2515

As our community takes bold steps toward electrification, Endeavour Energy is working behind the scenes to ensure the grid can keep pace. The Electrify 2515 Community Pilot in the Illawarra is a glimpse into what the suburbs of the future may look like.

We spoke with Dr James Hazelton, Future Energy Strategy Manager at Endeavour Energy, about the pilot, the benefits of solar and batteries, and why he’s confident the grid is ready for this transition.

Why is Endeavour Energy involved in the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot?

We’re the electricity network service provider for the Illawarra, Western Sydney, South Coast and Blue Mountains – we connect over 1.1 million people and businesses and are responsible for planning and running the electricity network. Electrification is a really important step in decarbonising our energy system because as more renewable energy sources come online, electricity is the cheaper and cleaner way to run our homes and businesses. 

For Endeavour, it’s important we understand what the impacts are in terms of loading on the electricity system but also how we can work to deliver the transformation at the least cost to households and bigger energy users. 

What is Endeavour Energy’s role in the pilot?

We’ve been involved since the very beginning. As part of the project, we’re installing 80 new monitoring devices across the local network and collecting smart meter data to gain deeper insights into power flows and power quality. This helps us better understand the impacts of electrification, particularly solar, batteries, and electric vehicles on the network. 

Our goal is to improve long term forecasting, so the savings customers make by going electric aren’t offset by rising network charges. We’re also reviewing how we charge for network use and exploring how retailers can better pass those signals onto customers. This includes encouraging energy use when it’s most beneficial – such as during the day when solar generation is high and reducing demand during peak times.

Our aim is to ensure the network can absorb increasing solar capacity while remaining flexible enough to support further customer connections. 

Are you confident the grid can handle this transition?

We’re very confident that in this part of the network there’ll be plenty of capacity for the electrification journey. The really important thing is making sure we’ve got the accurate data on what’s happening on the network. We do have other communities that are largely already off-gas due to distance from gas distribution networks, but this is about managing the change.

What do you say to friends and family thinking of adding solar and batteries?

There are a lot of good reasons to go solar and install a battery. For many it’s a climate conscious choice – an opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint. With rising energy prices and battery subsidies now available, more households are seeing the value, especially if their electricity use is increasing, such as with an electric vehicle. 

However, we understand that not everyone has access to these technologies. That’s why we’re also developing and supporting inclusive solutions, like community batteries, to help more people access clean energy and share in its benefits.