Overview

• Network utilisation is a key metric used to assess how efficiently electricity infrastructure is used, impacting consumer prices and network planning.
• Traditional metrics only consider peak demand and one-way energy flow, which are becoming outdated in the era of solar, batteries, and electric vehicles.
• This talk introduces new utilisation metrics—Total Energy Throughput Utilisation (TETU) and Two-Way Power Flow Utilisation—that better capture how modern grids operate with two-way energy flows and flexible demand.
• The presentation will explain how these new metrics can help drive more efficient network investment, lower costs for consumers, and incentivise non-network solutions like load shifting and smart tariffs.
• Results from real-world road testing with Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy data will demonstrate the benefits and challenges of applying these new metrics.

For more information, you can read the full report via the following link: https://www.uts.edu.au/isf/explore-research/projects/reimagining-network-utilisation-era-consumer-energy-resources.

Features

Highlights

Attendees will learn how to:

• Understand the limitations of traditional network utilisation metrics in a rapidly changing energy landscape.
• Explore the design and application of new utilisation metrics that consider two-way energy flows and seasonal load patterns.
• See how data-driven planning using these metrics can lead to lower network costs and support customer-centric energy services.
• Discover the potential for network businesses to adopt new strategies—like time-of-use pricing, solar soak tariffs, and flexible exports—that maximise asset utilisation and improve customer outcomes.

Speakers

Ibrahim is a Senior Research Consultant within the ISF’s Energy Futures team, who joined in February 2023. Prior to joining ISF, Ibrahim was Research Associate with the School of Electrical and Data Engineering, UTS, and Visiting Researcher with CSIRO Energy Centre. His main research interests mainly lie in the scope of renewable power systems, distributed energy resources (DER) systems, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications in Energy.

Ibrahim delivered several power systems and microgrid projects, including capability review and mapping the business-as-usual practices in the assessment of the network visibility and optimising hosting capacity. In addition, Ibrahim developed an open-access decision-support tool to conduct a life cycle cost assessment of various tariff structures with incorporating renewable energy investment alternatives. Currently, Ibrahim is leading the development of an open-access optimal power flow tool for a techno-economic DER planning and operation.

Ibrahim is in an Executive Committee Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers NSW section and the Electric Energy Society of Australia. He is also a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Australian Institute of Energy, and the Engineers Without Borders Australia, the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and the Jordanian Engineers Association.

Short introduction of the Institute of Sustainable Future at the Univeristy of Technology Sydney (UTS)

The Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a leading research institute dedicated to creating a sustainable future through applied research, policy development, and strategic advice. Established in 1997, ISF works across multiple sectors—including energy, water, transport, and sustainable development—partnering with governments, businesses, and communities in Australia and internationally. The institute is known for its interdisciplinary approach, combining technical expertise with social, economic, and environmental insights to address complex sustainability challenges and support evidence-based decision-making.

To know more about UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures, please visit webpage via the following link: https://www.uts.edu.au/isf.