Rethinking energy distribution in the NEM with Steve Lewis (Ausgrid)

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Australia’s energy system is shifting rapidly, with record levels of rooftop solar, home batteries, and local energy resources. But how do we ensure homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes can benefit from Australia’s vast solar potential? And how does a grid built for one-way power flows cope when millions of customers are also generators?

As households and communities take a more active role in the energy system, distribution networks need to evolve fast. In this episode we explore how traditional ‘poles and wires’ utilities like Ausgrid are rethinking their role and adapting to meet the needs of both the network and their customers.

In this episode of Transmission, Steve Lewis, Project Director - Community Power Networks at Ausgrid joins Wendel to explore how DNSPs are thinking about the shift from traditional network operators to facilitators of local energy exchange. Steve breaks down the Community Power Network trial: a new model that would enable households and businesses to share and trade energy locally, easing network constraints and unlocking more value from distributed energy resources.

He explains why DNSPs need to rethink their role, how community-led energy models can support the grid, and what it takes to build trust, participation, and technical capability at the distribution level.

Key topics covered:

• Why the rise of local energy resources demands a new operating model for DNSPs.

• How Ausgrid’s Community Power Network enables neighbourhood-level energy sharing.

• The role of DNSPs in supporting flexible load, storage, and prosumer participation.

• How community-led energy models can reduce constraints and deliver system benefits.

• What the NEM needs to evolve into a truly decentralised, consumer-driven energy system.

About our guest:

Steve Lewis is Project Director, of the Community Power Network at Ausgrid, where he leads innovation in community energy, local flexibility, and distribution network evolution in the NEM. The premise of the Community Power Networks Trial is to turn local solar into shared value. For more information on the trial - head to the website. https://www.ausgrid.com.au/About-Us/Future-Grid/Community-Power-Networks

About Modo Energy

Check out the Energy Academy Australia here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q-kwsfBPyc&list=PL_lhNBgOJnjTuKzdbLzQirHILoHYjaHYN

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