TPS Energy Leads National Research Consortium on Grid Stability

TPS Energy has submitted an application to the Australian Government's Grid Enhancing Technologies (GET) Program as lead organisation of a national research consortium developing advanced inverter control technologies for Australia's electricity networks.

The project, titled Power Grid Stability with Grid-Forming and Grid-Following Controls, brings together four universities and four industry partners under TPS Energy's leadership. The consortium includes the University of Tasmania, Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Wollongong, and UNSW Sydney, alongside TasNetworks, Hydro Tasmania, Siemens, and Ingeteam Australia. The application was lodged with the Department of Industry, Science and Resources in August 2025.

The 42-month project addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing the National Electricity Market: maintaining system strength and dynamic stability as synchronous generation retires and inverter-based renewables take its place. Rather than relying on new transmission lines or synchronous condensers, the project will develop and validate grid-forming (GFM) and grid-following (GFL) inverter controls, robust phase-locked loop designs, battery storage integrated with System Integrity Protection Schemes, and AI-driven optimisation tools that get more capacity out of the network already in the ground.

The Hardware-in-the-Loop test bed architecture for validating grid-forming and grid-following inverter controls, combining real-time simulation with power hardware and protection equipment.

The proposal represents a total project value of $4.57 million, comprising $1.82 million sought from the GET Program and $2.75 million in cash, staff and in-kind contributions from consortium partners. Technologies will be validated through Hardware-in-the-Loop testing using real Tasmanian network scenarios supplied by TasNetworks, with the University of Tasmania's Centre for Renewable Energy and Power Systems (CREPS) acting as the lead academic hub.

TPS Energy's developing pipeline of Tasmanian solar farms with integrated battery storage would provide real-world demonstration sites for the technologies, creating a direct pathway from laboratory validation to commercial deployment. Dr. Tien Ho, Director of TPS Energy, will lead the project as Lead Chief Investigator, drawing on more than 20 years of experience in Tasmanian power systems, transmission networks and Basslink operations.

The project is expected to deliver measurable reductions in network congestion and renewable curtailment, defer costly transmission upgrades, and produce operational guidelines and toolkits for utilities and regulators across the NEM. Outcomes would be shared through annual industry workshops, peer-reviewed publications, and briefings with AEMO, the AER and distribution network operators.

The application reflects TPS Energy's commitment to bridging the gap between research and practice, and to delivering technically sound, commercially viable solutions that support Australia's clean energy transition.