AGL Virtual Power Plant

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The AGL Virtual Power Plant is a world-leading prototype of a virtual power plants (VPP) created by installing and connecting a large number of solar battery storage systems across 1000 residential and business premises in Adelaide, South Australia, to be managed by a cloud-based control system.The batteries will be able to ‘talk’ to each other through a cloud-based platform using smart controls, forming a connected system that will be able to operate as a 5 MW solar power plant.Key resultsAGL’s VPP-SA project was the first of its scale to be announced internationally and successfully demonstrated that a network of connected energy storage systems could be coordinated to create value across a range of markets;Data from the project showed how residential energy storage systems installed behind the meter offer a range of demand and voltage management services to the local network in the course of normal operation, which can be further targeted through intelligent control of the fleet;Fleet data (which has since been shared with other research institutions for further analysis) highlighted some of the challenges of DER integration, and how local network conditions can impact DER customer value;The project shared learnings around customer perceptions of VPP’s, sales and marketing approaches, and critically around battery installation and product safety standards.

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