Majority of battery-powered households reject 'virtual power plant' scheme
Thousands of households with batteries installed under the federal government's scheme are choosing not to sign up to be a so-called virtual power plant that sells stored energy back to the grid.
A majority of Australian households with rooftop solar and batteries are rejecting participation in virtual power plant (VPP) schemes. These schemes allow consumers to share their energy resources with the grid, but experts say distrust of energy companies acting as middlemen is the main reason for low participation. Energy expert Chris Richardson, who has a VPP setup at his Frankston home, initially had concerns but found it ultimately saved him money.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that only a quarter of customers installing batteries under a $7.2 billion subsidy scheme signed up for VPPs, despite these customers being better off financially. Professors Yolande Strengers and Anna Brakey argue that VPPs could improve grid efficiency and save consumers money, but widespread acceptance remains a challenge.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
