Solar System Design & Integration

Gridserve delivers technical engineering services for utility-scale and commercial solar projects across Australia — from feasibility and connection studies through to detailed electrical design, earthing, lightning protection, and BESS integration. Our engineers are experienced across the full project lifecycle and familiar with AEMO, DNSP, and TNSP network connection processes.

Network Connection Studies

Full NER-compliant power system study suite for solar farm connection applications — load flow, fault analysis, stability, protection coordination, and Generator Performance Standards compliance.

BESS & Hybrid Integration

Battery energy storage and hybrid project engineering — inverter modelling, interconnect design, dispatch studies, and grid code compliance assessment for co-located solar and storage facilities.

Earthing & Lightning Protection

Site-specific earthing grid design and lightning protection to AS/NZS 1768:2021 — protecting inverter stations, DC arrays, control buildings, and communications infrastructure across diverse Australian environments.

Do You Have a Solar System Design or Integration Requirement? Contact Gridserve Today.

Gridserve supplies qualified solar and power system engineers for projects of all scales — from rooftop embedded generation through to multi-hundred megawatt utility solar farms with co-located BESS. Our professionals are deployed on a contract, secondment, or managed services basis, integrating with your project team to provide technical rigour at every stage from feasibility and connection enquiry through to commissioning and handover.

Service Streams

1

Solar Farm Electrical Design

Gridserve delivers complete electrical design packages for utility-scale solar farms — from DC array cabling and combiner box layouts through to AC collector networks, inverter station design, main transformer specification, and HV switchgear selection. Every design is developed in accordance with Australian standards and network connection requirements, and is sufficiently detailed to support procurement, construction, and commissioning.

  • DC string and array cable sizing to AS/NZS 5033 and IEC 60364-7-712
  • Combiner box, DC switchgear, and string monitoring design
  • AC collector cable sizing, thermal rating, and losses optimisation
  • Inverter station single-line diagram and LV/MV switchgear layout
  • Main step-up transformer specification and tap range analysis
  • HV substation design — indoor and outdoor switchgear arrangements
  • Site electrical design documentation for construction and as-built records
2

Network Connection Studies — NER & AEMO

Connecting a solar farm to the National Electricity Market requires a structured program of power system studies to satisfy the connection application requirements of the relevant network operator. Gridserve performs the complete NER-required study suite for solar farm and hybrid project connections — delivering technical reports that are clearly documented, technically defensible, and aligned with the format expected by AEMO, DNSPs, and TNSPs.

  • Connection feasibility assessment and Rule 5.3 connection enquiry support
  • Load flow and voltage analysis under normal and contingency conditions
  • Fault level and short circuit assessment for switchgear rating compliance
  • Generator Performance Standards (GPS) compliance assessment — S5.2.5 NER
  • Transient, voltage, and frequency stability studies
  • Protection coordination and relay settings for the connection point
  • Harmonic and power quality assessment — inverter injection and network limits
  • Reactive power capability and automatic voltage regulation (AVR) studies
3

Inverter Modelling & Performance Standards

Inverter-based resources behave fundamentally differently from synchronous generators, and the quality of inverter dynamic modelling directly determines whether a connection application is accepted or rejected. Gridserve works with inverter manufacturers and project developers to validate dynamic models, assess performance standards compliance, and identify the control settings and capability requirements needed to satisfy network operator expectations — preventing costly redesign late in the connection process.

  • Inverter dynamic model review — PSCAD, DigSILENT PowerFactory, and PSS/E format validation
  • Manufacturer model verification and benchmarking against measured field data
  • Performance standards compliance mapping — active power, reactive power, voltage, and frequency
  • Low voltage ride-through (LVRT) and fault ride-through (FRT) capability assessment
  • Rate-of-change-of-frequency (RoCoF) and frequency response compliance
  • Virtual synchronous machine (VSM) and grid-forming inverter capability assessment
4

BESS & Hybrid Solar–Storage Integration

Battery energy storage systems co-located with solar farms introduce a distinct set of engineering requirements — from interconnect design and DC coupling arrangements through to dispatch optimisation and network support capability. Gridserve provides end-to-end engineering for solar-plus-storage projects, covering both the detailed electrical design and the power system studies required to demonstrate compliance with NER generator performance standards for the combined facility.

  • DC-coupled and AC-coupled BESS integration architecture design
  • BESS inverter and battery system specification review and selection support
  • State-of-charge and dispatch modelling under network contingency scenarios
  • Combined solar+BESS performance standards compliance assessment
  • Weak grid and short circuit ratio (SCR) assessment for inverter stability
  • Protection coordination for DC battery systems and overcurrent devices
  • Grid-forming capability assessment and ancillary services (FCAS) eligibility review
5

Earthing System Design for Solar Farms

Solar farm earthing systems must simultaneously satisfy step and touch potential requirements across a large site footprint, provide a low-resistance path for inverter ground-fault protection, and manage earth potential rise (EPR) in the vicinity of the HV connection substation. Gridserve designs site-wide earthing systems that address all of these requirements — using CDEGS for high-accuracy analysis and specifying practical earth electrode configurations suited to the soil conditions of the site, including arid, rocky, and coastal environments.

  • Site-wide earthing design for solar array fields, inverter stations, and HV substations
  • CDEGS soil modelling and earth grid analysis for step and touch potential compliance
  • Earth potential rise (EPR) assessment under substation fault conditions
  • In-row earth conductor sizing and grounding strategy for DC arrays
  • Earthing design for arid, rocky, saline, and coastal soil environments
  • Soil resistivity surveying using the 4-Probe Wenner Method
  • On-site earthing system testing and commissioning verification
6

Lightning Protection for Solar Farms

Solar farm assets — arrays, inverter stations, control rooms, communications masts, and BESS enclosures — are exposed to direct strike risk across a large site footprint in locations that are often remote, on elevated ground, and in high-isokeraunic zones. Gridserve designs lightning protection systems compliant with AS/NZS 1768:2021, applying the Rolling Sphere Method in three dimensions using CDEGS SESShield-3D, and specifies a coordinated SPD scheme that protects sensitive inverter electronics, SCADA systems, and communications infrastructure from lightning-induced transient overvoltages.

  • Site-wide LPS design to AS/NZS 1768:2021 — risk-level determination and protection-level selection
  • Rolling Sphere Method analysis using CDEGS SESShield-3D for array and inverter station coverage
  • Air terminal mast positioning and height optimisation for large flat-site array fields
  • Down conductor and earth termination design for inverter stations and control buildings
  • SPD specification for HV/LV supply connections, SCADA networks, and fibre communications
  • Cyclone-rated and bushfire-resistant system design for northern and fire-prone regions
  • LPS testing, thermal imaging inspection, and ongoing maintenance program
7

Commercial & Embedded Generation

Gridserve also supports commercial-scale solar projects connecting to the LV or HV distribution network — including rooftop systems, embedded generating units, and behind-the-meter installations for industrial and commercial facilities. These projects require careful power quality and protection analysis to satisfy network operator requirements and ensure safe parallel operation with the grid.

  • Embedded generation protection scheme design — anti-islanding, reverse power, and under/overvoltage
  • Network impact assessment for LV and HV embedded generation connections
  • Export limitation and demand response control system design
  • Power quality assessment — harmonics, voltage rise, and flicker
  • Metering and revenue measurement system specification
  • Connection application documentation for DNSP submission
7

Project Types & Scales

Gridserve delivers solar engineering services across all project scales and connection configurations throughout Australia.

Utility-scale

Large solar farms (>10 MW)
HV connection, GPS compliance, AEMO registration, full study suite

Hybrid

Solar + BESS co-located
DC/AC coupling, dispatch studies, FCAS eligibility, combined GPS compliance

Commercial

Commercial rooftop (100 kW–5 MW)
Embedded generation protection, power quality, DNSP application

Industrial

Behind-the-meter industrial solar
Load offset design, demand response, export limitation schemes

Remote

Off-grid & microgrid solar
Standalone power system design, battery autonomy, diesel displacement

Agricultural

Agri-solar & irrigated land
Agrivoltaic array design, LV distribution, rural DNSP connection

Our Services

Tell us your project requirements, and we’ll connect you with a specialist engineer suited to your needs.

Reach Out to A Specialist
0499 178 078

Engagement Models

Contract / Secondment
Resources placed on-site or hybrid, integrated with your team for the duration of the engagement.

Managed Services
Gridserve manages resource delivery, accountability, and reporting as a complete end-to-end service.

Project-based
Fixed-scope engagement with defined deliverables, timelines, and measured outcomes.

Why Gridserve

  • Deep utility and energy sector domain expertise
  • Pre-vetted professionals with verified credentials
  • Rapid mobilisation — resources available within weeks
  • Flexible engagement — contract, managed, or project-based
  • Coverage across VIC, NSW, QLD, and WA
  • Ongoing performance support throughout engagement