While improving visibility over DER is a logical approach towards better managing systems as they come online, we need to acknowledge the role that other technologies will play in stabilising the grid as the demand for energy independence continues to grow. These other technologies range from home batteries, to community batteries, and virtual power plants (VPPs) to dynamic solar export control and demand response; all of these tools are already being deployed across Australia, although not yet in a coordinated or comprehensive way.
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Adding another tier 1 manufacturer to its list of integration partners, SwitchDin has established a testing site with German battery manufacturer VARTA on the path to full integration with the company’s ‘pulse 6’ storage system.
Read More![[VIDEO] Virtual power plant participation options: Examining choice in an evolving landscape](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592cdfd3e6f2e1b24180305b/1554850434145-F7FZ1RCJ49Z1PKVS1VV9/Smart+Energy+2019+-+VPP+participation+models.png)
Last week we made a presentation about virtual power plant participation models at the Smart Energy Conference in Sydney.
The presentation covered the different options for households and businesses to partake in virtual power plant programs - from equipment choices to program & incentive types.
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Distributed energy is the future of Australia’s electricity system. The Australian Energy Networks Association (AENA) anticipates that by 2027 40% of energy consumers will have a distributed energy resource (DER) on site. This number is expected to surge to nearly 70% by 2050. Industry bodies such as the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) - among others - have made similar projections. Many of these will take part in virtual power plant (VPP) programs, which reward system owners for supplying services into the energy system.
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High temperatures pushed electricity demand close to the levels of available generation, which led to extremely high wholesale energy prices as more expensive generation was require in both states, and ‘load shedding’ - i.e. utility initiated power outages - was implemented in Victoria.
Read More![[Video] Standardisation and the role of edge computing in distributed energy resource management](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592cdfd3e6f2e1b24180305b/1548297776185-P8AZ2LBP138ZTF8C27VE/Screen+Shot+2019-01-24+at+1.42.23+pm.png)
This presentation by our CEO Dr Andrew Mears provides an overview of the role that standardisation (via edge computing) will play in Australia’s increasingly decentralised energy system.
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Complexity is one of the biggest challenges in distributed energy resource management & virtual power plant operation. Part 1 of this series (based on our white paper) covers complexity, while security is the focus of the part 2.
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