Australia: CSIRO partners with Alphabet moonshot unit for new inverter prototype

Australia's national science agency CSIRO is partnering with one of Alphabet’s skunkworks projects to develop a new type of smart inverter project to better handle renewable energy on the grid through greater real-time visibility and more simulation capabilities.

The prototype smart inverter was designed by Dr. Leo Casey, Tapestry’s chief scientist and they have been tested at CSIRO’s Newcastle Energy Centre and described the early results as “promising.” The inverter can communicate with other devices on the grid like solar panels or batteries, working with them to keep the grid stable, amid fluctuating supply and demand. It also features signal sensing and signal filtering hardware, as well as grid forming and microgrid software so that the device can not only more accurately detect voltages and currents, but also act on that information.

CSIRO energy director Dr. Dietmar Tourbier said: "This work with Tapestry builds on CSIRO’s 20+ years of research on Australia’s energy system, emissions reductions, and economic futures. The transitions required for Australia to meet its emissions commitments and remain globally competitive are complex, and solutions require collaboration across

industry, government, finance, and the global energy sector.”