APUA is developing a policy that will allow customers with solar systems to install battery storage while protecting utility workers from electrical hazards.

Electricity Business Unit Manager Andre Matthias said the new arrangements could be completed within weeks.

Customers have argued that batteries should be treated similarly to standby generators, allowing homes and businesses to maintain power during outages.

However, Matthias said batteries present a particular safety concern because they operate silently.

If a battery continues sending electricity into a section of the grid that APUA employees believe has been isolated, linesmen could be seriously injured or killed.

The new policy will therefore establish technical and safety requirements for connecting batteries to the grid.

APUA introduced its interconnection policy in 2011 using a net-metering arrangement that allowed customers to offset the electricity they consumed with electricity generated from rooftop solar systems.

The authority later moved to net billing, saying the original one-for-one arrangement did not adequately cover the cost of maintaining the grid, reading meters and billing customers.

Officials said the new battery policy will support the transition to cleaner energy while ensuring renewable installations do not endanger workers or destabilise the electricity network.