EnergyAustralia is partnering with New South Wales network services provider Ausgrid to extend a dynamic pricing trial to help unlock the benefit of Virtual Power Plants, enabling customers to maximise the value of their home solar systems.
Project Edith, named after electrical power system pioneer Edith Clarke, is an 18-month dynamic network pricing trial led by Ausgrid.
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The trial dynamically calculates the cost to use the network at a particular point in time and location to unlock value both for, and from, customer energy resources such as home batteries. The trial is opt-in and during the trial, no customer will be financially worse off.
EnergyAustralia head of customer assets Renae Gasmier said, “With the rapid growth of rooftop solar systems, dynamic two-way pricing is a critical part of unlocking the value of Virtual Power Plants. We welcome the Project Edith trial with Ausgrid and look forward to seeing the benefits for customers.
“For customers with rooftop solar, dynamic pricing and Virtual Power Plants help unlock more value from their investment. For the community, it accelerates the energy transition by providing more households with access to solar energy. And for the market, it helps create a stable, reliable energy system of the future by better orchestrating small-scale customer assets.”
“Participation in these trials and the learnings we take from them are critical as we move to a more decentralised energy system and reflect our commitment to lead and accelerate the clean energy transition for all.”
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Ausgrid head of distribution system operator services Alida Jansen van Vuuren said, “Project Edith is about redefining how we think about how customers are using their grid connections. We know increasingly customers are taking up new energy tech and participating in new constructs like virtual power plants.
“This technology means customers can use the grid more efficiently, but only if they are appropriately incentivised to do so, and that’s where Edith comes in with dynamic, cost-reflective pricing and rewards.”
