DERIAPITWG publishes CSIP-AUS v1.3
Price signals, energy storage control and version negotiation come to Australia's DER communications protocol.
11 September 2026
The DER Integration API Technical Working Group (DERIAPITWG) has today published CSIP-AUS v1.3, together with its accompanying Test Procedures.
CSIP-AUS is the protocol Australian electricity networks and distributed energy resources (DER) use to communicate with each other. Version 1.2 of CSIP-AUS, published by Standards Australia as TS 5573:2025, is the basis of dynamic operating envelopes and the emergency backstop arrangements now being taken up across several jurisdictions.
Version 1.3 adds three new annexes to the profile. All three are optional and backwards compatible: existing v1.2 implementations remain valid and require no changes following the v1.3 release.
The release is the result of more than a year of sustained, collaborative effort by over 100 DERIAPITWG industry members, with noteworthy contributions from the Australian National University (ANU), Synergy and Ausgrid.
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What’s new in v1.3
Annex F — Pricing
Extends the IEEE 2030.5 Pricing function set to give CSIP-AUS an optional and consistent format and approach for publishing price signals, allowing servers to communicate dynamic price signals to DER. The annex draws directly on practical experience from Ausgrid's Project Edith.
The annex also introduces several extensions that improve the scalability of the protocol. Price signals are published frequently, to large fleets of DER; these extensions reduce the processing demand upon devices, allowing the protocol to be used sustainably into the future.
The annex does not determine who may send price signals, nor the commercial arrangements that sit behind them.
Annex G — Storage.
Defines an optional target setpoint control for the storage components of a DER, along with an improved method for reporting stored energy telemetry.
Together, these changes allow CSIP-AUS to be used to instruct battery energy storage systems to actively contribute towards system security during periods of very high or very low demand, without curtailing behind-the-meter solar generation.
Annex H — Schema Version Negotiation and Service Discovery.
Introduces in-band service discovery and schema version negotiation: a server can publish which versions of the CSIP-AUS schema it supports, and clients use standard HTTP mechanisms to negotiate which version they should use.
CSIP-AUS deployments involve large fleets of devices, and until now a change of schema version has required a complex coordinated transition. Annex H makes these migrations simpler, and will facilitate the rollout of future protocol improvements.
The full text of CSIP-AUS v1.3 can be found here
Test Procedures
The v1.3 Test Procedures have been published alongside the implementation guide as a supplement to the existing CSIP-AUS test procedures, and have been proactively implemented in the CSIP-AUS Certification Testing for Utility Services (CACTUS) platform to aid server and client developers. These test procedures comprise nine tests for DER clients, three tests for DER, and five tests for CSIP-AUS servers.
The code implementation of the test procedures can be found here.
The full Test Procedures document can be found here.
Transition arrangements
The publication of CSIP-AUS v1.3 does not change SA TS 5573:2025, nor the jurisdictional requirements that stem from that standard. It does not invalidate existing test executions performed via CACTUS.
Some distribution network service providers (DNSPs), including Synergy and Ausgrid, have adopted CSIP-AUS v1.3 for their programs or pilots and will communicate any necessary changes to industry directly.
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Upcoming Engagement
The DERIAPITWG is now working on further improvements to CSIP-AUS, including an updated plain-language CSIP-AUS v1.3 Explainer and a CSIP-AUS Future Roadmap setting out the proposed technical evolution of the profile. Industry participants and stakeholders interested in either document are encouraged to get involved with the Working Group or get in touch.
Enquiries
For media enquiries and questions about CSIP-AUS and Version 1.3, please contact the CSIP-AUS Secretariat at csipaus@csipaus.org
This work has been supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)