The challenge

Our client engaged Rennie to lead the high level design of a multi-party data exchange platform and recommending the associated governance roles and impacts to existing policies and legislation. The data exchange would be the mechanism for sharing Consumer Energy Resource (CER) / Distributed Energy Resources (DER) data between key industry participants.

The challenge was complex: multiple stakeholders across industry, government, and consumers had competing priorities; the technical requirements for data collection and sharing were still evolving; and governance arrangements were uncertain. The data exchange needed to be both technically robust and socially acceptable. The project also had to align with broader national energy reforms.

Our solution

We delivered a targeted program of work bringing together stakeholder engagement, technical and regulatory expertise to help define the high level data exchange model, key governance roles, use cases and impacts to existing rules and legislation.

• Stakeholder and industry engagement: We engaged a diverse range of participants across government and industry to build a shared understanding of the requirements of the data exchange and the high level foundations needed to support interoperability and trust. We worked with stakeholders to determine the roles and responsibilities for governing the data exchange, the primary actors and future considerations to ensure the design was scalable.
• Policy and implementation roadmap: We developed a roadmap setting out the regulatory, legislative, and organisational steps needed to operationalise the Exchange. This roadmap provided a structured sequence of actions to enable the sharing of CER/DER data at scale and enable the right organisations to be positioned for the oversight and governance of the data exchange

Our integrated approach combined strategic policy insight with strong digital and data expertise, and ensured recommendations were not only technically sound but were implementable and aligned with the national CER Roadmap.

Our impact

Consultation with diverse stakeholder groups to build consensus and enable participants to evolve their thinking and contribute to the design of a modern, fit-for-purpose data exchange.

The engagement provided a clear roadmap to establish a Data Exchange that improves data sharing between stakeholders, strengthens security, transparency and consumer trust.

• Consultation papers setting out the digital and governance actions required to enable the secure exchange of CER/DER data between stakeholders.
• Policy and design recommendations anticipating the rule shifts required to implement future data sharing and interoperability.
• Cross-sector alignment and collaboration, ensuring shared ownership of reform and reducing barriers to participation.
• A final report outlining the high level recommendations for the establishment of the Data Exchange and the steps to get there.

The engagement transformed a complex challenge into a coordinated strategy for action – providing government and industry with the clarity and tools needed to enable a secure, connected, and data-driven energy future.

Key insights

• Balancing technical and social dimensions is critical. The success of data reform in the energy sector is not only about designing technically sound systems. Our work demonstrated that stakeholder trust, transparency, and clear communication are equally important. Without broad support, even the most robust technical model risks under-delivery.
• Governance clarity underpins effective implementation. In the context of distributed energy, ambiguity about roles and accountabilities can stall progress. The engagement highlighted the importance of defining early who is responsible for what, ensuring the DER Data Coordinator has both legitimacy and authority to act across a diverse stakeholder landscape.
• Consultation is a tool for design, not just validation. By engaging stakeholders early and iteratively, EPWA was able to co-design practical solutions rather than simply test pre-formed ideas. This created both better outcomes and stronger industry ownership of the recommendations.
• Policy alignment reduces long-term friction. With multiple reform programs underway at both state and national levels, it was critical to align the DER Data Hub design with the broader National Consumer Energy Resources (CER) Roadmap. This alignment minimised duplication and created opportunities for cross-jurisdictional learning and interoperability.

• Legislation must evolve with technology. One of the key insights from this project was the need for flexibility in regulatory design. Given the pace of change in DER technologies and markets, EPWA recognised the importance of embedding adaptive regulatory approaches that could evolve over time rather than locking in rigid frameworks.