Contrary to recent speculation, Standards Australia is not developing standards that will ban the introduction of on-site lithium-ion battery storage in Australian homes.

Standards Australia is working with stakeholders to develop a new draft Australian Standard® AS/NZS 5139, Electrical Installations – Safety of battery systems for use in inverter energy systems that will enable the safe installation of battery energy storage systems.

It is proposed that the draft document will contain provisions for:
• Installation requirements for all battery systems connected to inverter energy systems, covering all battery types;
• Mitigating hazards associated with battery energy storage system installations; and
• Classifying batteries based on hazards, and not chemistry type

Following preparation of the draft, it will be released for a nine week period of public comment. This will afford all stakeholders the opportunity to comment on the proposed standard. Public comment is scheduled for April 2017 but this is subject to change.

All comments received will be considered by the representative technical committee, EL- 042, Renewable Energy Power Supply Systems & Equipment. EL-042 is comprised of stakeholders from all sectors with an interest in this work, including the renewables sector.

As the work progresses, a formal ballot will be undertaken to ensure that there is sufficient community consensus to proceed to develop the document as an Australian Standard®.

In these circumstances, further speculation of a ‘ban on on-site storage’ by Standards Australia would be inaccurate and misleading.

The use of all Australian Standards® is voluntary and governments may choose to reference Australian Standards® and other documents in regulation.

Standards Australia looks forward to the continued work of our technical committee and wide community dialogue.

EL-042, the committee responsible for the development of AS/NZS 5139, includes representatives from the following organisations:

• Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council
• Australian Energy Council
• Australian Energy Market Operator
• Australian Industry Group
• Australian PV Institute
• Australian Solar Council
• Clean Energy Council
• Clean Energy Regulator
• Construction, Environment and Workplace Protection, ACT Government
• Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association
• CSIRO
• Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (VIC)
• Electrical Compliance Testing Association
• Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council
• Electrical Safety Organisation (New Zealand)
• Electricity Engineers Association (New Zealand)
• Energy Networks Australia
• Engineers Australia
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Institute of Electrical Inspectors
• Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand
• Master Electricians Australia
• National Electrical and Communications Association
• New Zealand Electrical Institute
• NSW Fair Trading
• Office of the Technical Regulator (SA)
• Solar Energy Industries Association Inc
• Sustainable Electricity Association New Zealand
• Sustainable Energy Association
• The University of New South Wales
• Wellington Electrical Association Inc.
• Worksafe New Zealand

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