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Power up the value of your solar with a home battery
As well as helping you maximise the benefits of your existing solar system, purchasing an eligible battery through one of our preferred installers means you would be eligible to join our Virtual Power Plant (VPP) energy plan, making your battery more affordable.
Features and benefits of a Tesla Powerwall 2
- Lithium-ion battery with 13.5kWh usable capacity ^
- Fully integrated Tesla Inverter
- Monitor & manage your energy usage with the Tesla app
- Stored energy can be used in the event of a blackout
^ Usable capacity - Battery capacity is measured at the battery module DC terminals. Losses associated with further system conversion may vary.
Make a battery more affordable by joining our VPP
*Install an eligible battery through one of our preferred installers and receive a $800 sign-up credit, plus approximately $20 monthly VPP 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. View in our terms and conditions.
What is a Virtual Power Plant?
A 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.
Store excess energy
During times when your solar system generates more than you can use, the VPP stores this excess energy in your battery, for you to use in the evening when the sun goes down.
Support the grid
Our priority is to always ensure you have enough energy stored in your battery to meet your needs. When the grid is under stress, the VPP will share excess energy with your local community and you benefit from ongoing credits.
What people are saying about VPP
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
I haven’t had a power bill in two years
"The VPP is part of my whole home 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 Mugg
... 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 San
Getting started is simple
Step 2
We’ll match you with one of our Clean Energy Council Accredited preferred and trusted installers who will be in touch with you soon.
Step 3
They’ll talk you through your options and answer any questions that you may have. And they’ll recommend the right battery storage options to suit your requirements.
Step 4
Once installation is booked, we'll send you a reminder to join our Simply Energy VPP offer so you can start earning!
Start your Battery & VPP journey today
Register your details below and we’ll match you with one of our preferred and trusted installers.
They’ll be in touch to talk about the right solar power and battery storage options for you.
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 the grid is under stress, the Virtual Power Plant will share excess energy with your local community. Don’t worry, you’ll always benefit from annual VPP credits to your account, and you won’t have your supply interrupted due to your participation in the VPP as our priority is to always ensure you always have enough stored energy in your battery to meet your needs.
Support the grid
Battery storage and VPPs do more than simply earn bill credits. These smarter, more sustainable energy solutions mean you’ll also be helping take care of your community and environment by supporting the grid.
How will I receive my credits?
If you purchase and install an eligible battery through one of our preferred installers, your sign-up credit & VPP community credit will be applied to your electricity bill.
What is my solar FiT?
Your Feed-in Tariff will depend on the state you are located. Your current Simply Energy Feed-in Tariff will be listed below;
- NSW: 15c/kWh (as of 23 November 2022)
- VIC: 15c/kWh (as of 23 November 2022)
- SA: 15c/kWh (as of 1 July 2022)
- QLD: 7c/kWh (as of 1 July 2022)
To see if you are eligible for a Premium or Distributor FiT, or learn more about how Solar FiTs work, visit our Help Centre.
Do I still receive my Feed in Tariff whilst on a VPP?
Yes, you will receive the Feed-in tariff as outlined in the product you have signed up for.
Can I get a government grant for my battery?
Yes, in addition to our $800 sign-up credit, there are government grants for eligible residents to help make your battery more affordable.
- VIC: $8,800 interest free loan.
Please visit the respective government website to review the terms & conditions of the grants.
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 for their battery purchase.
Do I need to have the battery installed when I sign up?
No. Customers have the option of signing up prior to having their battery installed by a partner installer, but will need for the installation of your battery to happen within 3 months of signing up. As we require your battery details prior to providing your credit, you will not be eligible for the $800 sign-up credit until your battery is installed.
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.
How many times will Simply Energy access my battery?
Our priority is to maximise the benefit our customers receive by joining our VPP community. We guarantee that in any 12 month period we won’t extract more than 405kWh from your Energy Storage System.
Historically we have used less than 100kWh per year, so you can be confident your VPP Payments will always be significantly more than the cost of Simply Energy access your battery.
For Tesla Powerwall, this reflects our strategy of supporting the grid by providing frequency support. The Frequency Control Ancillary Service (FCAS) markets, which typically require only a very short imports or discharges of energy to help support the grid.
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 a 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 in times of need:
- Wholesale Energy Market Support
In Australia, wholesale energy prices are set every 5 minutes depending on the amount of energy that is being generated and used across the grid. In some rare cases, when there is particularly high energy demand (for example during a summer heat wave) or if there is a sudden reduction in supply (for example if a power station breaks down) then wholesale energy prices can spike to very high levels. By exporting the energy stored in your battery, in times where energy prices are very high, we can help the grid to retain its supply and demand balance 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 on the grid is a change in the frequency of the electricity on the grid. Significant frequency variations from the normal 50Hz can lead to issues across the grid. The grid operator has established markets to provide ancillary services to stabilise the frequency of the gird in times of need – these markets are called Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS) markets. Your battery can provide these ancillary services via brief periods of automatic charging or discharging in response to grid frequency deviations, and in doing so it generates payments from these FCAS markets.
What happens if you don’t use my battery?
Your credit is 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.
I have a reliable internet connection with good speeds on 3G/4G/5G, why do I need to have a fixed internet connection?
Currently response times for 3G/4G/5G and satellite are note suitable for the VPP
I'm an existing VPP customer, can I sign up to this energy plan?
Yes, you can sign up if you are a current or past Simply Energy VPP customer (including under this Simply New VPP offer) although you are not eligible to receive the $800 sign-up credit if you have already received it for your current battery.
I have more than 1 battery, am i eligible for multiple credits?
You are eligible to receive a sign-up credit & VPP community credits per battery (up to a maximum of 3), if:
- Each battery is am 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?
Currently, only the Tesla Powerwall 2 is eligible for the VPP.
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.
We also have a regulated Standing Offer available. For more information, call us on 1300 029 223.
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