Compare Virtual Power Plant (VPP) offers

;sWhat’s needed to join a VPP?

To join a VPP, a household will need;

• A compatible solar battery and inverter installed at the home.
• typically a smart meter
• continuous and reliable internet

What to look for in a VPP?

Energy retailers VPPs typically offer households the following benefits and considerations;

• A signup credit when joining the VPP
• A credit paid to the household for participating – usually around $1 per kWh exported to the VPP, which is often provided as a monthly or quarterly credit.
• A cap on the amount of battery the VPP uses each year. A 200kWh annual cap works out to an average of 4/kWh per week, or more likely an 8 kWh event every fortnight.
• A feed-in tariff on exports
• Retailers may charge the battery from the grid in anticipation of a peak event, so energy is stored and ready. There will be a charged at standard rates.
• VPP agreements advise households that they will retain a minimum battery charge, typically 20%. So, energy will still be available from the battery after a VPP event.

Find the best plan and add a VPP.

Most retailers, including AGL, Origin and GloBird, make VPP an “add-on” to their general plans.
A few retailers (such as EnergyAustralia and ENGIE) have dedicated VPP plan pricing – only available on request as these are “restricted offers” (WATTever only displays energy offers with valid official factsheets so we can validate prices every day – we’ve asked retailers many times to provide more transparency on their VPP offers by publishing factsheets).
Amber pricing is market-linked, and published fact sheets show a historical 12-month average price.

Will a VPP work for me?

If your battery is sufficient to cover your peak energy needs, then joining a VPP can unlock additional value from your battery. With daytime feed-in tariffs declining and the average size of household batteries growing, VPP offer an opportunity for solar storage households to access higher returns by sharing excess energy with the grid.