AGL and ARENA develop virtual power plant

A new power station is being built in Adelaide, with homes beginning to receive the first battery installations as part of the trial.

AGL Energy’s Virtual Power Plant trial will be supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), enabling household batteries to communicate with each other through a cloud-based platform.

Once it has been completed, the system will power hundreds of homes and have the capacity to operate as a 5 MW solar plant.

With some of the highest levels of solar and wind penetration in the world, South Australia is an ideal place to hold the trial.

“Instead of getting electricity from large power stations outside cities that’s fed across long power lines, sometimes from different states, households can now use power from the sun, captured and stored from their own roofs,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht.

“Central cloud-based controls allow AGL to operate these systems like a typical power station, with even faster response times — discharging electricity to consumers’ homes during periods of high demand and supporting the grid during periods of instability.

“Ultimately, this means virtual power plants could be rolled out across the country to provide reliable, affordable renewable energy to Australians.”

AGL’s first release of 150 batteries has sold out and the company plans to release the second round of batteries ahead of schedule.

AGL Executive General Manager New Energy Elisabeth Brinton said being a part of the virtual power plant means customers will be able to consume more energy generated from their own rooftop solar systems, lowering their power bills and reducing emissions.

“We had a great deal of interest from the release of the first 150 batteries and I’m thrilled we can now open up the second phase of batteries for sale,” Brinton said.

ARENA is providing $5 million towards the $20 million project, contingent on the negotiation of a final funding agreement.

The rollout of batteries will continue into 2017, with the second phase focusing on distributing batteries to the Adelaide suburbs of Campbelltown, Tea Tree Gully, Henley South and Ottoway.

People interested in being involved or checking eligibility can register online at agl.com.au/powerinnumbers or call one of AGL’s battery experts on 1300 447 465.

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