Ara Ake EDB Challenge

As Aotearoa New Zealand moves towards a low-emission energy future, the EDB Challenge aims to find innovative solutions to electrification challenges faced by electricity distribution businesses.

The Challenge: Innovative solutions to electrification

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New Zealand's electricity system is undergoing rapid change, with distributed energy resources (DER) like solar, EVs and batteries gaining momentum. However, our grid, originally designed for centralised power generation, faces challenges in managing DER growth, especially on the low-voltage (LV) networks where they connect.

In response, Ara Ake launched the EDB Challenge in 2022, aiming to improve LV network visibility. Collaborating closely with electricity distribution businesses (EDBs), Ara Ake identified specific issues and conducted a global search for innovative, pilot-ready solutions to enhance New Zealand's electricity distribution networks.

A global call for innovators was put out to apply and demonstrate their solutions on New Zealand’s electricity distribution networks. This culminated in a pitch event in New Plymouth, Taranaki, where six innovators from New Zealand, Australia, the USA, and Europe presented their solutions to the chief executives of eight EDBs. Following the pitches and deliberations, partnerships were formed, leading to four innovators conducting technology demonstrations across seven pilot projects.

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Plexigrid pitching their technology at the 2022 pitch event

Judges and CEOs asking questions at the event

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Outcome of the Challenge

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The challenge addressed the complexities of investing in, managing, and operating electricity networks to support New Zealand's decarbonisation goals, while ensuring a reliable and equitable electricity distribution service.

Eight EDBs partnered with four global innovators to pilot solutions designed to improve LV network visibility and management. These projects targeted efficiency and affordability during the energy transition, focusing on:

Optimising visibility, management, and forecasting of peak demand and network constraints.
Integrating DERs, flexibility services, and electricity demand growth into asset management and operational planning.
Streamlining the DER connection process, especially network impact assessments.

After over a year of testing, these pilot projects provided valuable lessons and insights, now shared with the industry to inform future innovations and improvements.

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Read the Insights and Learnings report

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Bluecurrent addendum to EDB Challenge Report

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Report highlights

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The key barrier identified by these pilots in addressing the two key challenges – improving LV network asset management and maintaining service affordability – was the limited access to smart meter data at a reasonable cost, regardless of the network or LV management system in use.

The report shares valuable insights and recommendations from the Challenge, including: