12. Emergency PV backstop mechanism

May 5th, 2026

Ashkan Khashei, Leila Rajabpour, Julio H. Braslavsky, Maria M. Seron, Reza Razzaghi and Mehdi Ghazavi Dozein - Monash University, Melbourne, Australia and The University of Newcastle, Australia

Emergency PV backstop mechanism

  • High rooftop PV penetration in Australia is driving periods of minimum operational demand (MOD), reducing system strength and inertia. This condition necessitates the implementation of the Emergency Backstop Mechanism (EBM) as a last-resort PV curtailment measure.
  • This research develops a comprehensive distribution-level modelling framework for EBM, including analytical tools to determine required T–D transformer tap adjustments for voltage-based PV tripping, characterization of voltage propagation along feeders, and mitigation of EBM-induced active power oscillations using voltage compensation strategies.
  • At the system level, this research quantifies the impact of large-scale EBM-driven PV disconnection on frequency dynamics, including RoCoF behaviour and the risk of frequency-dependent cascading failures such as secondary photovoltaic tripping (SPVT).
Download the posterPDF9 MB