Virtual power plants have been talked about for years as a crucial part of Australia’s clean energy future. But a recent ACCC Electricity Inquiry found fewer than one in four battery owners have signed up to a VPP, despite participants typically paying lower electricity bills than households with solar and batteries alone.
So what’s holding Australians back? Robbie Campbell, CEO of Plico, Australia’s first 100% privately funded residential virtual power plant, explains what they’ve learnt since launching in Western Australia in 2017, what it will take for VPPs to go mainstream, and why his company was built around a virtual power plant from day one, rather than adding it to an existing retail business.
