Australian virtual power plant aggregates first package of residentially generated energy

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The pilot project combines rooftop solar, battery storage and appliances. Image: CSIRO.

A virtual power plant (VPP) pilot programme in Western Australia that aims to adapt grid management to support greater uptake of rooftop solar has aggregated its first package of residentially generated energy.

Focused on developing and operating distributed energy resources (DERs) within the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) in Perth, the pilot, dubbed Project Symphony, has also participated in a simulated bi-directional wholesale electricity market.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The pilot reached a major milestone with the successful testing of the intelligent systems required to orchestrate 200kW of energy over a simulated bi-directional balancing market trading interval, according to Kate Ryan, executive general manager WA and strategy at the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

“This is the first step in realising the full capabilities of distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar, batteries and large appliances in supporting the energy transition to grids capable of handling 100% instantaneous penetration,” she said.

Announced last December, Project Symphony is being undertaken over two years by AEMO, electricity network provider Western Power and energy retailer Synergy.

The pilot combines rooftop solar, battery storage and appliances, such as air conditioning and pool pumps, that are orchestrated as a VPP to better understand how the innovative use of DERs can provide benefits to customer affordability and network security while also reducing emissions.

The aim is to demonstrate how the VPP can respond to challenges in the power system whilst also delivering more value to customers from their assets, enabling them to participate in current and future energy markets.

Funding of AU$35.5 million (US$25 million) for the project is going towards the development and integration of software that manages energy distribution, market operation and market aggregation. Together, these will underpin the monitoring and coordination of a high volume of mostly customer DER assets.

Project Symphony is now focused on integrating more customers and additional third-party aggregators, with the objective of orchestrating up to 900 DER assets across 500 homes and businesses.

Read Next

July 2, 2025
A new state-owned green bank, the Energy Security Corporation (ESC), has launched in New South Wales, Australia, with an initial funding allocation of AU$1 billion (US$640 million).
July 2, 2025
Indigenous-led renewable energy company Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (YEC) has submitted plans for a hybrid wind and solar PV renewable energy project to the Australian government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
July 2, 2025
Robotics company Luminous has received AU$4.9 million (US$3.2 million) via Australia’s Solar ScaleUp Challenge to support deploying its ‘LUMI’ technology at utility-scale solar PV power plants.
July 1, 2025
A five-year research initiative is underway in Australia to test the viability of floating solar systems on irrigation dams.
June 30, 2025
Australian module manufacturer Tindo Solar has secured a 30MW solar module supply agreement to power Australia's first "net zero pipeline”.
Premium
June 27, 2025
PV Talk: '2024 was a transformational year in terms of energy policy,' says Monika Paplaczyk ahead of this year's Clean Power 2030 Summits.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK