SwitchDin's Submission to the Australian Government for Virtual power plants to reduce energy bills for rural and regional Australia

Australia can reduce energy bills and increase skilled jobs by helping households and businesses to take control of their electricity.

The way to save money on electricity is to coordinate on-site generation and consumption, and export to the grid as part of a virtual power plant (VPP).

VPPs give customers access to the most lucrative parts of the energy market. VPPs reduce the need for new infrastructure investment and allow businesses to take advantage of lower-cost renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Rural and regional businesses that would benefit from taking advantage of untapped opportunities in load flexibility include water and sewerage authorities, data centres, agriculture, irrigation, shopping centres and commercial precincts.

With Government support for the enabling platforms and technology, VPPs will allow households and businesses to access untapped value of their generation and load flexibility and make the most of local opportunities.

Read our full submission with all our recommendations below: