Your guide to emergency solar management: ESM low load events and testing

Emergency Solar Management (ESM) works to stabilise our network when there is a high amount of solar energy being generated from rooftop solar systems, and not enough demand from everyone in our network.

On a day like this, remote management of household solar is needed to prevent potential outages. This means that for a few hours, a Synergy customer’s solar, could be remotely turned off, and then on again.

ESM events are rare 

A day where remote management is needed to stabilise the grid and prevent outages are rare. If it does happen, it’s most likely to occur in the months leading in and out of spring and autumn when the days are sunny, solar production is high, but temperatures are mild.  When it happens, it’s because all other options have been exhausted. 

Monthly testing

To be prepared for an event, we need to carry out testing once a month. Testing usually takes between 15 minutes and an hour, and during that time your solar will be remotely switched off, then on again. 
We test that that our technology can connect to participating solar system inverters so solar can be remotely switched off, and then on again, and that interruptions are as minimal and non-disruptive as possible. 

View ESM tests and events

In the table below, you can see the dates and times solar systems subject to ESM requirements have been remotely managed due to either a test or the real thing (an ESM event).