Problem and challenges
Household batteries are becoming more common around Australia. Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSPs) see an opportunity to aggregate this storage into Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) as a cost effective resource to help with grid management. However first they need to know where storage is located around the network. With that visibility they can then design programs to recruit homeowners into VPPs and start to control this distributed resource for the benefit of the grid. *Identity withheld for privacy reasons
Solution
What
- Gain visibility of privately owned storage across the network
- Gain details of the type of storage and current behaviour
How
- This DNSP used the Evergen DERMS platform to see where storage was available
- From there, they were able to target areas of interest and build programs to recruit battery owners to join VPPs
Outcomes
- Two way communication between the DNSP and homeowner
- No administration with our billing and payments engine that removes the need for a billing relationship with customers
- Easy recruitment of VPP members by accessing Evergen’s fleet of batteries
- Single portal to view, monitor, schedule, control and report on mixed fleets of DER
Evergen was engaged to run a two stage recruitment process in line with the client’s phases of the program; sitting at 351 participants exporting energy back to the grid and earning money from their battery involvement in the Virtual Power Plant.
