Learn how AGL’s Virtual Power Plant (VPP) works and how you can join. Discover the benefits of storing and sharing solar energy through your home battery, eligibility requirements, and the options for joining with a new or existing battery.
A VPP is a network of solar batteries that can work together when the grid needs extra energy, just like a power plant. By drawing a limited amount of energy from each battery, the VPP creates a large pool of energy that can be shared.
Once you join AGL’s VPP, from your point of view …
As usual, excess energy your solar panels generate is stored in your solar battery.
As part of the VPP, we access a small amount of your battery power to share with the grid. We might do this when the grid needs help, like on hot evenings when everyone turns on the air con.
If you have a Tesla, we’ll leave you with 20%. If you have another battery, you can go to the battery’s settings and choose how much power we leave.
Sometimes electricity demand can suddenly spike, like on hot summer evenings when many people arrive home and switch on their air conditioning. A VPP can help to meet this demand. During peak times like these, if you’re part of our VPP, we could instruct your battery to discharge some of its stored solar energy to help support the grid.
Later in the evening, if wind generation picks up and there’s more energy in the grid than needed, your battery might then be instructed to recharge to absorb the excess supply and help to stabilise the grid.
So, a VPP event is any time we take electricity from your battery or top your battery up. Each event is less than 10 hours.
We also call this orchestration.
To join the AGL VPP, you need a battery and a compatible inverter.
| Brand | Battery Models | Inverter |
|---|---|---|
| TESLA |
|
Not applicable |
| LG |
|
|
| SOLAREDGE |
|
|
To join our VPP, you’ll need an eligible battery. You can either:
If you buy a solar battery from AGL, you can get a discount off the upfront cost of your solar battery when you sign up to our Virtual Power Plant (VPP) for five years. Exit fees may apply if you opt out of our VPP within 5 years.
You won’t be eligible to join AGL’s Bring Your Own Battery (BYOB) VPP for 5 years, as the discount you received when you bought your battery precludes you from participating for that time.
If you already have an eligible solar battery, enjoy welcome credits, and ongoing quarterly credits when you join our VPP with an eligible solar battery.
If your battery is used as part of our VPP events, you’ll also get annual event-based credits.
Learn more about AGL’s BYOB VPP.
If you buy a battery from AGL and get $1000 of the purchase price of the battery when you join our VPP, there will be an exit fee, if you leave the VPP within the 5-year term. You must pay back the discount you received on a pro rata basis.
You're free to switch your electricity plan at any time. However, you must be on an AGL electricity plan to connect and stay connected to our VPP. If you leave AGL during the 5-year term, you must pay back the upfront AGL discount you received in proportion to how much of your 5-year membership has transpired (on a pro rata basis).
View terms and conditions (PDF).
To disconnect, contact us at:
