Hide message
EnergyAustralia today announced it will partner with New South Wales Network Services Provider, Ausgrid, to extend a dynamic pricing trial to help unlock the benefit of Virtual Power Plants, enabling customers to maximise the value of their home solar systems.
Project Edith, named after electrical power system pioneer Edith Clarke, is an 18-month dynamic network pricing trial led by Ausgrid. This project will help unlock the benefit of Virtual Power Plants, allowing customers to maximise the value of home energy assets such as rooftop solar and batteries, and support the community by giving more homes access to renewable energy.
The trial dynamically calculates the cost to use the network at a particular point in time and location to unlock value both for, and from, customer energy resources such as home batteries. The trial is opt-in and during the trial, no customer will be financially worse off.
EnergyAustralia Head of Customer Assets, Renae Gasmier said: “With the rapid growth of rooftop solar systems, dynamic two-way pricing is a critical part of unlocking the value of Virtual Power Plants. We welcome the Project Edith trial with Ausgrid and look forward to seeing the benefits for customers.
“For customers with rooftop solar, dynamic pricing and Virtual Power Plants help unlock more value from their investment. For the community, it accelerates the energy transition by providing more households with access to solar energy. And for the market, it helps create a stable, reliable energy system of the future by better orchestrating small-scale customer assets.”
“Participation in these trials and the learnings we take from them are critical as we move to a more decentralised energy system and reflect our commitment to lead and accelerate the clean energy transition for all.”
Ausgrid Head of Distribution System Operator Services, Alida Jansen van Vuuren said: “Project Edith is about redefining how we think about how customers are using their grid connections. We know increasingly customers are taking up new energy tech and participating in new constructs like virtual power plants.
“This technology means customers can use the grid more efficiently, but only if they are appropriately incentivised to do so, and that’s where Edith comes in with dynamic, cost-reflective pricing and rewards.”
This trial is the latest in a range of initiatives led by EnergyAustralia to unlock the benefits of customer energy assets. Aligned programs include:
- Solar Home Bundle - is our comprehensive solution for homeowners looking to embrace renewable energy. By signing up with Solar Home Bundle for seven years, customers get a complete solar panel and battery system, expertly installed and managed, at zero upfront cost. It's an all-in-one package that makes transitioning to cleaner energy simple and cost-effective.
- Battery Ease is our BYO-battery product that lets customers make the most of their home solar and battery system. By joining Battery Ease, customers will financially benefit by sharing their energy – with no effort required on their part.
- Rollout of community batteries - renters, apartment dwellers, and solar homeowners without battery storage can still benefit from storage through community batteries. These mid-sized neighbourhood systems capture and store community solar energy, making renewable energy accessible to more people, regardless of their living situation.
- Energy Masters is a new South Australian pilot funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency that helps EnergyAustralia make the most of customer home energy appliances. By optimising how customers use energy, EnergyAustralia can improve efficiency and network performance.
For more information on EnergyAustralia’s customer energy asset initiatives, please visit: What we do (energyaustralia.com.au)
For media inquiries contact: Stuart Allott: 0402 321 769 / stuart.allott@energyaustralia.com.au