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Offset your battery investment by joining our VPP
*Install an eligible battery through one of our preferred installers and receive a $500 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
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.
Support the grid
When the grid is under stress, the VPP will export excess energy stored in your battery to support increased demand. You benefit from ongoing credits while reinforcing the grid and supplying your local community with renewable energy.
Read our FAQs below for more information on how we use and share your excess 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 for the ENGIE VPP energy plan, you must meet the following criteria:
- Purchased an eligible battery from one of our preferred installers.
- Have the system installed within 3 months of signing up to the offer OR have signed up to the offer within 30 days of the installation date.
- An available, continuous, and reliable internet connection to which your energy storage system is connected (excluding 3G & 4G internet connections).
- A fully functioning solar system with a minimum inverter size of 5kW and maximum size of 10kW.
- Have a Smart Meter
You can view the full eligibility criteria within our terms and conditions.
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 renewable 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?
When you purchase and install an eligible battery through one of our preferred installers, you will receive a $500 sign-up credit applied to your electricity bill, 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, 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 $500 sign-up credit, there are government grants for eligible residents to help make your battery more affordable.
To view the current governments grants available, visit https://www.energy.gov.au/rebates
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.
Who are ENGIE’s preferred installers?
We are partnered with the following Clean Energy Council Accredited installers: All State Solar, Eguana, G-Store, Kozco Energy Group, Natural Solar, Solar Lab, TCK Solar, GI Energy, UNIfied Energy Services.
Do I need to have the battery installed when I sign up?
No, customers can sign up for our VPP before having their battery installed by one of our preferred installers. However, you must install your battery within three months of joining, as we need your battery details before providing your credit. Once your battery is installed, you will be eligible for your $500 sign-up credit.
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 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?
When the grid's power supply is cut, your battery will automatically back up your whole home or selected essential loads (depending on which circuits you've chosen and how many power phases are in your home).
Some key features of battery during a blackout include:
- If it's daylight, your solar PV system will continue generating energy to power your home and/or charge your battery (this is only applicable for single-phase solar PV inverters).
- During a power outage, the switch to using power stored in your battery will happen seamlessly - in most cases, you won't even notice it happening.
As part of our VPP, you will have access to a minimum storage capacity in the battery. For customers with Tesla Powerwall 2, the manufacturer's 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 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.
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 have more than one eligible 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?
- Tesla Powerwall 2
We also have a regulated Standing Offer available. For more information, call us on 1300 029 223.