CSIP-AUS testing and certification
National CSIP-AUS testing and certification service
The ANU provides Australia’s CSIP-AUS testing and certification service, established to ensure consistency in interpretation and deployment of CSIP-AUS across Australia.
The ANU testing and certification service is the only national testing service in Australia for inverters to be certified compliant with Standards Australia’s new Technical Standard TS5573:2025 in Australia, which replaces its predecessor, Standards Australia’s Handbook HB218:2023.
In addition to inverter testing, ANU also offers a server testing and certification service for the first time, which enables Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSPs) to test their own utility servers against a ‘reference server’ to ensure each will be compatible with inverters certified to TS5573:2025 and are deployed consistently across Australia.
The new national testing and certification service launched in October 2025 and has been designed as a ‘self-service’ model, enabling OEMs and DNSPs to undertake self-directed testing against reference servers, with ANU providing technical support as necessary and providing mandatory ‘witness testing’ to pass certification (see diagram below).
CSIP-AUS v1.2 is expected to become the mandatory standard in Australia (via TS5573:2025) from July 2026. We encourage all OEMs and DNSPs utilising CSIP-AUS to engage with the ANU early to complete testing and ensure compliance prior to this date.
The ANU has released a CSIP-AUS Testing and Certification Handbook to support OEMs through the testing and certification process.
CACTUS Platform
When an OEM has a product that they wish to certify, they can commence the process at any time by self-registering on the CSIP-AUS Certification Testing for Utility Services (“CACTUS”) tool and beginning testing. The CACTUS test harness is live at https://cactus.cecs.anu.edu.au
Clients can:
• Create an account, certificate and register devices
• Begin self-testing against CSIP-AUS v1.2 test cases
• Generate test reports and troubleshoot.
Testing follows the requirements set out in:
• SA TS5573:2025 – Common Smart Inverter Profile (CSIP-AUS) Test Standard
• CSIP-AUS v1.2 utility server test procedures
• CSIP-AUS v1.2 explainer.
It is recommended that clients complete AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 certification, where applicable, before seeking CSIP-AUS certification.
Self-testing
The CACTUS platform is designed to be as self-service as possible. Most communications client tests (Section 13 of SA TS 5573) can be performed independently by the client without ANU involvement. Reports generated by CACTUS will form part of the certification package.
DER Witness Testing
DER tests that validate DER behaviour (e.g., ramp-rates, disconnection, primacy validation) are specified under Section 14 of SA TS 5573 and currently require witnessing by ANU test operators to receive certification.
To book a witness test session:
1. Complete self-testing
2. Experiment with DER tests and prepare preconditions (e.g., load and generation setup)
3. Contact csipaus-cert@anu.edu.au to schedule an online witness session.
Certification
ANU will provide final certification reports to the Clean Energy Council (CEC), who maintain and manage the list of compliant devices. While some DNSPs may continue to require additional local tests in the short term, our goal is to establish CACTUS as a one-stop platform that meets all DNSP and national requirements over time.
Service fee
This service is free of charge.
Getting help
You can get help at any time by emailing csipaus-cert@anu.edu.au
Previous testing by SA Power Networks
SA Power Networks used to undertake testing and certification against CSIP-AUS v1.1a as part of its Dynamic Exports program. This service will be closed from 1 November 2025. For more information, please visit SA Power Networks’ website here: Technology Providers | Talking Power
Please note that SA Power Networks is closing its testing service in Q4 2025 and handing over its testing processes to the ANU.
Synergy
Testing and certification against CSIP-AUS can be performed by Synergy for CSIP-AUS communication clients that wish to operate within Western Australia. For information on the current process with Synergy, please visit Synergy’s website here: Technology Providers | Synergy.
Schema definitions for the v1.3-beta/storage extensions are hosted here