On 12 August 2021 the AEMC published its Access, pricing and incentive arrangements for distributed energy resources final determination. The determination changed the energy rules with the aim of getting more small-scale solar into the grid, while supporting growth of batteries and electric vehicles. This included removing the prohibition on export tariffs, allowing networks to potentially propose to the AER that they be permitted to introduce two way pricing to match two-way energy flows on electricity networks.
As a result of this change, the AER was required to consult on and develop Export Tariff Guidelines that will provide information and guidance to distributors and other stakeholders about how networks will be required to justify any future proposals for two-way pricing and how they should define the basic export level, the no additional cost export service which networks must provide to all customers with rooftop solar. On 19 May 2022, the AER released final Export Tariff Guidelines and explanatory statement.
On 26 August 2022, the AER published an exploratory paper on Network tariffs for the distributed energy future, written by Argyle Consulting and Endgame Economics on the challenges and possible pathways of storage tariffs. On 21 December 2022, the AER published a summary paper which summarised responses to the exploratory paper.
In October 2024, the AER made minor, administrative changes to this Guideline to account for the Integrating Energy Storage Systems rule change.