Ausgrid
Ausgrid distributes across Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter. Its process is unusually spread out: the application is one system, the equipment register is another run by AEMO, and the compliance certificate is a third — each with its own deadline, and the network only owns the first.
What they assess
- Installer lodges, and installer credentials are checked
- The application is submitted by the installer on the customer's behalf, and eligibility is tested against more than one credential: current SAA accreditation, a valid NSW electrical licence, and the relevant manufacturer training completed before design or installation.
- Closing out means three lodgements, not one
- The connection application, the compliance certificate and the AEMO register entry are separate obligations in separate places, each running its own clock from the work.
- The job can be audited after it closes
- Installations are subject to post-connection audit, so the paperwork has to survive scrutiny well after the site is packed up.
Where it snags
The AEMO register entry is keyed to a job number the network emails out on approval — to whichever address was typed into the application form. Get that address wrong and the installer never receives the key needed to finish the registration, with nothing on site to indicate anything is outstanding. Ausgrid — the Distributed Energy Resources Register
Equipment entered on the application has to be consistent with what the AEMO register will accept. A mismatch is not tidied up downstream: it forces a fresh application, and that cost falls on the customer. Ausgrid — the Distributed Energy Resources Register
The inverter has to clear two independent tests — compliance with the relevant AS/NZS inverter standard, and presence on the industry approved list or a written approval issued by the network for that make and model. Confirming it before purchase sits with the installer, and so does the cost of a non-compliant unit that has to be replaced. Ausgrid — information for solar installers
A granted approval expires. A job delayed past its validity window is reapplied for rather than resumed, which makes the approval date a scheduling constraint rather than a filing detail. Ausgrid — how to get connected
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Confirm the distributor from the bill, NMI record or connection approval before relying on this page. Embedded networks, remote grids and private networks may use a different authority. The connection offer and the site-specific approval override anything general, here or on the distributor’s own site. Reviewed 2026-08-08.
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