Australia’s largest electricity generator AGL has acquired South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant (SAVPP) from Tesla to establish AGL Community Power—a program that seeks to share the benefits of renewable energy with those who cannot purchase solar and batteries or who may be locked out due to barriers to home ownership.
SAVPP, one of Australia’s largest VPPs, was first established in 2018 with support from the SA Government and ARENA. It is comprised of distributed solar capacity and about 7,000 Powerwall home batteries. More batteries are expected to be installed this year as AGL looks to further develop the program.
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The SAVPP is a network of solar and Powerwall home battery systems, installed on South Australian social and community housing. The solar and battery systems are now owned by AGL, with customers who are part of this program receiving significantly discounted energy prices.
The solar and battery assets will be coordinated to work together, and also used to help stabilise the electricity grid where required, which we know is critical for the energy transition. AGL will be exploring ways to expand the benefits of this innovative model to more energy users, including social and community housing residents across Australia.
AGL chief customer officer Jo Egan said, “SA social and community housing residents participating in this program will continue to receive significantly discounted energy prices.
”This innovative model of a virtual power plant means we can extend the benefits of the energy transition to more customers, in a really smart and simple way.
“This deal follows on from our existing community support to help address cost of living pressures and is part of AGL’s ongoing focus on making sure all customers and communities can take part in the benefits of the energy transition.
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“We know that upfront costs of installing solar and batteries can be a significant barrier for many, and we are focused on how we can make these more accessible. You’ll see more of these innovative approaches from AGL to provide ongoing support for our customers who are experiencing financial hardship,” Egan said.
“We are focused on growing our flexible load under management and virtual power plant to support the energy transition. AGL is a leader in virtual power plant technology, and now proudly have one of the largest residential battery virtual power plant in Australia, driving us closer to our FY27 target of 1.6GW of decentralised assets under orchestration.”
