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Searching great energy plans for you
Want to 'power up' the value of your home battery?
Joining our Virtual Power Plant (VPP) energy plan could help you maximise the benefits of your solar and battery system.
Earn bill credits when you join our VPP
*Join our VPP to maximise your solar and battery system and receive a $300 sign-up credit on your first bill for new VPP customers, plus approximately $20 monthly VPP community credits. The longer you stay, the more you earn!
Plus, receive a competitive solar Feed-in Tariff to help make the most out of your solar exports.
Want to learn more?
What is a Virtual Power Plant?
Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a network of connected home solar and battery systems that together support the electricity grid.
View our video to discover more on how our VPP can work for you.
Your battery stores excess energy
When your solar system generates more energy than you can use, the excess is stored in your battery, which you can draw on after the sun goes down and your solar is no longer generating electricity.
Join the VPP to support the grid
When the grid is under stress, the VPP will export excess energy stores in your battery to support increased demand. You benefit from ongoing credits while reinforcing the grid and supplying your local community with renewable energy.
What people are saying about VPP
I haven't had a power bill in two years
"The VPP is part of my whole energy setup, and because everything's combined, I haven't had a power bill in two years. I wanted to join the VPP because of the rebates offered".
Jeremy
... generous battery subsidy and export rate
"I wanted to opt into the VPP because of the generous battery subsidy and export rate. I also think it's helpful for grid support and helping ease climate change."
Kaden
I saved 62% of the cost of the battery
"The upfront and ongoing credits made the cost of the Tesla battery far more affordable, I saved 62% of the cost of the battery. It was a great way to help recoup the cost of the solar battery system"
Fiona
Am I eligible?
To be eligible to join our VPP, you must be:
- Be a resident of SA, NSW, VIC or QLD.
- Have an eligible battery installed at your premise.
- Have an available, continuous, and reliable internet connection to which your energy storage system is connected (excluding 3G & 4G internet connections).
- Have a Smart Meter installed at your premises.
- A fully functioning solar system with a minimum inverter size of 5kW and maximum of 10kW.
- Have a Smart Meter
You can view the full eligibility criteria within our terms and conditions.
Award-winning energy solutions
Innovation Excellence 2022
We’re proud to have won this award for our Solar Sharing Scheme in partnership with Hunter Douglas in NSW.
Innovation and Collaboration 2020
Awarded for our world-leading VPPx, this project was recognised for its increasing of consumer benefits from home battery systems.
IoT for Energy 2020
We were thrilled to be acknowledged for our work in growing connectivity and IoT innovation for our VPPx project.
Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of joining a Virtual Power Plant?
Store excess energy
When your solar system generates more than you can use, your battery stores this excess energy for you to use in the evening when the sun goes down.
Share excess energy with your community
When electricity demand is high, and the grid is under stress, the Virtual Power Plant will export excess energy from your battery to share with your local community. Sharing your electricity will not interrupt your supply, as the VPP will always ensure you have enough energy stored in your battery to meet your needs. Plus, by participating in our VPP, you'll support the grid with renewable energy while benefiting from monthly VPP credits to your account.
Support the grid
Battery storage and VPPs do more than earn bill credits. A VPP is an innovative sustainable energy solution that means you'll also be helping take care of your community and environment while supporting the grid.
How will I receive my credits?
Join our VPP to maximise your solar and battery system with a $300 sign-up credit on your first bill for new VPP customers, plus approximately $20 monthly VPP community credits. Your monthly VPP community credit is calculated by multiplying the daily rate of 0.657534c (GST exempt) by the number of days in a month. This is an ongoing contract. The longer you stay, the more you earn!
Do I still receive my Feed-in Tariff whilst on a VPP?
Yes, customers that join our VPP are eligible to receive the FiT outlined in the answer above.
Can I join if I have received a government grant for my battery?
Yes, customers are still eligible to join if they have received a grant to purchase their battery.
Do you need to install anything on my battery?
No, we connect customers to the VPP community via a cloud-based platform, so no installation is required.
What happens if my battery isn’t eligible for your VPP?
If your current battery isn’t on our eligible list, it may be something we can put in place for the future. Please contact us to discuss your options on 1800 290 773.
How many times will ENGIE access my battery?
ENGIE will not discharge more than 405 kWh of electricity from your Energy Storage System to the grid. If your Energy Plan includes a solar feed-in tariff, you will be paid that tariff for energy discharged from your battery;
ENGIE will also not draw more than 405 kWh of electricity to your Energy Storage System from the grid or your Distributor’s network. You will be charged the usage Charges pursuant to your Energy Plan for each kWh of electricity drawn from the grid to your Energy Storage System, but these charges will not exceed the aggregate amount of monthly Credits paid to you during the VPP Benefit Period until that point
What will happen during a blackout?
With minimal disruption, the battery will automatically back-up either your whole home or selected essential loads (depending on which circuits you have selected to be supplied and how many power phases are in your home).
Some key features of battery during a blackout include:
- The ability for your solar PV system to continue generating energy to power your home and/or charge your battery (only applicable for single phase solar PV inverters)
- In most cases you won’t notice the switch to using the backup power in the battery
- As part of our VPP you will have access to a minimum storage capacity in the battery. For customers with Tesla Powerwall 2, the manufacturers recommended minimum capacity is 20%.
Why do you use my battery?
We use your battery in two ways to support the grid when power demand is high:
- Wholesale Energy Market Support
In Australia, wholesale energy prices are set every 5 minutes based on the energy supply available and current demand across the grid. In some rare cases, when there is exceptionally high energy demand (for example, during a summer heat wave) or a sudden reduction in supply (for example, if a power station breaks down), wholesale energy prices can spike to very high levels. By exporting the excess renewable energy stored in your battery at these times, we can support the electricity demand and create extra value from the wholesale energy market.
- Ancillary Services Support
A side effect of an imbalance between the energy supply and energy demand is a change in the frequency of the electricity on the grid. Significant frequency variations from the standard 50Hz can lead to issues across the grid. The grid operator has established markets to provide ancillary services to stabilise the grid's frequency in times of need. These markets are called Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS) markets. Your battery can provide these ancillary services by responding to grid frequency deviations and briefly charging or discharging power. In doing so, it also generates payments from these FCAS markets.
You will receive VPP Community Credits in consideration of the payments we receive for this support.
Do I still get VPP credits if you don’t use my battery?
Our VPP credits are not contingent on whether we use your battery. If we don’t use your battery, this will not impact the value of credits that you will receive over this period.
Which internet connections are not suitable for the VPP?
Currently the response times for 3G & 4G are not suitable for the VPP.
I'm an existing VPP customer, can i still sign up to this energy plan?
Yes, you can still sign up to this plan if you're an existing VPP customer, although you are not eligible for the $300 sign up credit.
Are there any fees if I decide to leave the VPP?
There are no fees if you leave this energy plan.
I have more than 1 eligible battery, am I eligible for multiple credits?
- You are eligible to receive a sign-up credit per battery (up to a maximum of 3), if:
- Each battery is an eligible battery;
- You have 3 phase connection and each battery is connected to an individual phase; and
- You have an export agreement in place to allow for energy from all batteries to be exported concurrently.
What are the current batteries eligible for the VPP?
- Tesla Powerwall 2
We also have a regulated Standing Offer available. For more information, call us on 1300 029 223.