The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has released a knowledge
sharing report on its Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Demonstration program showing that consumer devices, when aggregated and coordinated, can contribute to
a secure electricity system and reward participating households.
In Australia, VPPs are typically focused on coordinating
distributed energy resources (DER) like rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems,
battery storage and controllable load devices, such as air-conditioners or pool
pumps, through the market.
Beginning in July 2019, AEMO’s
VPP program was established to understand and share insights on the
operational capability of VPPs, exploring the ability of aggregating DER to
deliver services to the grid and unlock new value for consumers.
AEMO’s Executive General Manager, Emerging Markets and
Services, Violette Mouchaileh, said: “Our report highlights how our first VPP
participant, the SA VPP, performed during several events in the National
Electricity Market (NEM).
“This included immediately charging and discharging
batteries in response to frequency deviations following a contingency event to
maintain stable NEM frequency levels, and responding to energy market signals by
batteries pre-charging in anticipation of elevated prices and discharging
during the elevated price event.
“As a result of accessing aggregated and controllable DER
through VPPs, the power system is supported by the provision of additional
power when needed,” she said.
To further understand the experience of residents
participating in VPPs, AEMO, in partnership with the Australian Renewable
Energy Agency (ARENA), is undertaking a customer insights survey to existing
VPP Demonstration customers.
“The VPP Demonstrations represent an excellent opportunity
to build understanding of how consumers experience being part of a VPP and to
identify how future VPPs could improve consumers’ experiences of VPP
participation,” Ms Mouchaileh said.
The consumer experience encapsulates the initial sales and
marketing process, installation of equipment, operation in a VPP and perceived/realised value delivered.
Lynne Gallagher, CEO (interim) Energy Consumers Australia,
said, “The VPP Trial is important because it will not only help us answer
technical questions about this exciting new technology, but how to make it work
for people and how they use energy in their homes and businesses.
“Energy is deeply embedded in the way we live our lives, and
bringing consumers into the innovation process is a critical part of developing
successful new energy services,” she said.
Moving forward, the VPP Demonstrations will continue to gain
learnings regarding the effectiveness of VPPs adding value to the power system.
AEMO will continue to monitor and analyse participants’ responses to events on
the power system. The addition of other participants will enrich the current
data set and allow for more analysis to be carried out and a deeper
understanding to be gained.
In Australia by 2040, AEMO’s Draft
2020 Integrated System Plan forecasts that 63% of coal-fired
generation will retire, the equivalent annual electricity needs of all
Australian homes and a proportion of businesses. Meanwhile, DER generation
capacity is expected to double or even triple, with rooftop solar to provide 22% of total energy, between 32 gigawatts (GW) and 50 GW.
Further, AEMO estimates that embedded battery storage capacity, including VPPs, will total between 17 GW and 30 GW. What this shows is that Australia is a world leader in DERs, paving the way for VPPs to significantly contribute to Australia’s future energy system.
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