CSIRO has officially launched a $3 million upgrade of its Renewable Energy Integration Facility at its Energy Centre in Newcastle, with the national science agency stating the expansion significantly strengthens Australia’s capacity to test and validate technologies central to the electricity transition.
According to CSIRO, the upgraded Renewable Energy Integration Facility (REIF) expands the nation’s ability to test, validate and commercialise renewable and grid technologies – including solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles – within what it describes as an independent, controlled laboratory environment.
CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Doug Hilton said the investment delivers a “powerful national capability” at a time of rapid transformation in the electricity system.
“The Renewable Energy Integration Facility provides industry, researchers and system operators with an independent laboratory to test how technologies such as wind, solar, batteries and electric vehicles can integrate safely and reliably into the grid,” Dr Hilton said.
“As Australia transitions to a cleaner, more electrified economy, we need the confidence that new energy technologies can operate safely and reliably across the system. This upgraded facility strengthens Australia’s capability to test exactly that,” he said.
Dr Hilton added that the facility would support “more efficient use of electrical infrastructure,” which CSIRO says could contribute to improved energy affordability for homes and businesses.
Established in 2009 and opened by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the Newcastle-based facility is described by CSIRO as one of the largest renewable and grid integration testing centres in the southern hemisphere.
The agency said the $3 million upgrade more than doubles its power testing capacity and introduces high-resolution data capture, advanced grid and battery emulation tools, programmable inverters and real-time hardware-in-the-loop simulation.
CSIRO said the expanded laboratory can simulate microgrids and grid faults, assess inverter performance under real-world conditions and conduct large-scale experiments combining solar, batteries and electric vehicles.
Among its demonstrations is vehicle-to-grid technology, which the agency said enables electric vehicles to store excess solar energy and return power to the grid during peak demand.
CSIRO Energy Systems Research Program Director Dr John Ward said the enhanced capability would help address both domestic and international energy challenges.
“The Renewable Energy Integration Facility allows us to simulate and stress-test real-world grid conditions, giving us deeper insight into how inverter-based technologies like solar and batteries perform as their share grows across the electricity system,” Dr Ward said.
“Australia faces unique challenges – from long, remote distribution networks and record levels of rooftop solar, to increasingly volatile weather and rising demand from energy-intensive data centres,” he said.
Dr Ward added that the facility enables CSIRO to work “side-by-side with industry and market bodies to design innovative solutions,” and provides “a rigorous, independent environment to evaluate new technologies before they reach market,” supporting Australian innovation and manufacturing.
CSIRO said the facility is open to external industry and research organisations for collaboration and commercialisation projects. The upgrade was funded through the Department of Education’s Trailblazer Universities Program, according to the agency.
