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Australia's largest virtual power plant

With the support of the Government of South Australia, Tesla and electricity retailer Energy Locals are developing South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant (SA VPP), a network of potentially 50,000 solar and Tesla Powerwall home battery systems across South Australia, all working together to form Australia’s largest virtual power plant.

SA VPP is designed to provide more affordable, reliable and secure electricity for all South Australians, while increasing homeowners’ visibility of their energy use, and supporting South Australia’s transition to a renewables-based economy.

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About South Australia's Virtual Power Plant

What is a virtual power plant?

A virtual power plant (VPP) is a network of distributed energy resources – such as homes with solar and battery systems – all working together as a single power plant.

The VPP operator uses WiFi technology and sophisticated software to charge or discharge energy from the batteries and trade it on the National Energy Market (NEM).

With many systems working together, small amounts of energy stored in individual home batteries can become large amounts of energy to help support the grid in times of need. The capacity and power of a VPP can sometimes match or even exceed a traditional power station.

SA VPP is a growing network of homes with solar and Tesla Powerwall home battery systems across South Australia.

Unveiled in 2018, SA VPP is demonstrating how virtual power plants can reduce energy costs for participating households, and support the grid in ways that reduce energy costs for all South Australians.

Tenants of more than 4,000 Housing SA homes already benefit from SA VPP, with more being added every month.

Tesla plans to have up to 50,000 South Australian homes connected over time.

South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant - an Australian first

SA VPP is demonstrating how virtual power plants and other distributed energy resources can operate in the future.

SA VPP was the first virtual power plant in Australia to help stabilise frequency levels in the grid. The stability services SA VPP provides have already helped with significant events such as:

  • a power station trip in Queensland in October 2019
  • providing power to Port Lincoln residents during catastrophic fire conditions in November 2019
  • high and low frequency issues in the grid in December 2019
  • disconnections of the grid between South Australia and Victoria in November 2019, January 2020, and November 2022.

By demonstrating grid stability services, SA VPP has created a path for other distributed energy resources to also provide important grid services that have previously only been provided by centralised, more traditional equipment.

Who is involved in South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant?

Tesla has designed and developed SA VPP, and is managing the installation of solar and Tesla Powerwall home battery systems on South Australian homes.

Energy Locals is the electricity provider and retailer for all households participating in SA VPP.

The Government of South Australia supported earlier phases of the project through a $2 million grant, and $20 million loan from the Renewable Technology Fund and $10 million grant from the Grid Scale Storage Fund. Earlier phases were also supported by:

The current expansion of SA VPP is funded entirely by Tesla. The Government of South Australia is working with Tesla to identify Housing SA homes suitable for the expansion.

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Information for Housing SA and community housing tenants

There is no need for Housing SA tenants to register their interest to join SA VPP.

Tesla and the South Australian government are following a detailed process to identify suitable Housing SA homes to participate in SA VPP, including tenants who registered their interest in the trials. Tenants living in suitable Housing SA homes will receive information from the government and Tesla to let them know their home has been shortlisted and how to join.

SA VPP is open to tenants of community housing providers.

Contact Tesla on 08 7100 1294 to find out more.

To maximise the potential energy bill savings for Housing SA tenants and all South Australians, SA VPP needs to enrol homes where solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall battery can be safely installed and operated for years to come. Tesla is also working with SA Power Networks (SAPN) to prioritise homes in areas where the need for grid support is high and batteries can assist with services such as load management and voltage support.

Because of this, homes go through a detailed selection process.

Step 1
A review of Housing SA property information like size, type, age, condition, and economic life of the building, to create a list of possible homes.

Step 2
A discussion of the listed locations with SAPN, to identify any homes that should be prioritised so that they can help provide grid support services.

Step 3
A review of online aerial photos for the listed homes to create a shortlist of tenants to receive an invitation for a free site assessment.

Step 4
For tenants that accept the invitation, a site assessment to confirm the site is completely suitable for a home battery installation, with or without solar.

Steps 3 and 4 consider all the technical details required for a safe and well-performing installation, including things like suitable roof space, a suitable and safe location for a battery, little to no roof shading, and electricity meters, meterboards, and switchboards that are suitable or can be easily upgraded.

A home has to pass all four of these steps to be able to join SA VPP.

Housing SA tenants shortlisted to participate in SA VPP will receive information about how to join the program. This may include:

  • Letter and/or email from the Government of South Australia
  • An invitation from Tesla
  • SMS text sent to their mobile phone
  • Follow up phone call from the Government of South Australia

Shortlisted homes will be contacted in a staged approach, based on location. On current estimates, it is expected that all homes will be contacted by the end of 2023.

There are a number of reasons why a property might not be shortlisted for SA VPP, including property type, age, or condition, the available space for solar panels or a battery, shading on the roof, and the condition and type of existing electricity meters, meterboards, and switchboards.

If you are a Housing SA tenant in a home that hasn’t been shortlisted for SA VPP, there are still many steps you can take to lower your electricity bills:

Housing SA tenants shortlisted to participate in SA VPP will receive an exclusive invitation from Tesla with a special website address and phone number listed on the invitation. Please complete the sign up form on the website to accept your invitation and Tesla will arrange a site assessment of your home to ensure it is suitable for the program.

Joining SA VPP is your chance to lower your electricity bills, and be part of Australia's largest virtual power plant making electricity cleaner and more affordable, reliable and secure for all South Australians.

As a SA VPP customer you will have a Tesla Powerwall home battery, with or without solar, installed and maintained at your home, at no cost to you. In return, you will enjoy:

  • Lower electricity prices - an exclusive price for electricity is the lowest residential electricity rate in South Australia guaranteed, 25% lower than the regulated Default Market Offer (based on 4011 kWh/year on an anytime tariff in SA Power Networks)
  • Blackout protection - Tesla Powerwall home battery reserved to back up your home in a power outage
  • Sustainable electricity - access to renewable energy while helping lower electricity prices across your community when solar is installed

It’s important to remember that you will continue to pay for all the electricity you use – whether it comes from the solar, battery or the grid – but it will all be charged at the low electricity rate only available for SA VPP customers.

SA VPP’s electricity rate is even lower than the SA Concession Energy Discount Offer, and 25% cheaper than the standard electricity price (known as the Default Market Offer).

Watch Tesla's video: Why join South Australia's Virtual Power Plant

Note: Energy Locals and Tesla review this offer annually to ensure it is the lowest generally available single rate residential offer in South Australia as of 31 August of that year. If a tier 1 energy retailer releases an offer with a lower rate, Energy Locals and Tesla will reduce their offer to align with the cheaper competitive offer (within 60 days of becoming aware of the cheaper offer). Contact Tesla on 08 7100 1294 to find out more.

Note: A typical customer joining SA VPP can save up to $562 (including GST) off their annual electricity bill, while generating clean energy for the community and supporting the grid (based on the annual saving estimate for a new residential customer when compared to the Default Market Offer with an annual energy consumption of 4,011 kWh/year on an anytime tariff in SA Power Networks, inclusive of all discounts). Savings will vary depending on your usage and is dependent on a tenant’s previous tariff and their eligibility for energy and/or cost of living-related concessions.

Depending on your current electricity contract and your electricity usage, you could save up to 25% off the standard electricity price (known as the Default Market Offer) in South Australia by joining SA VPP. You will also have the Tesla Powerwall home battery to power the home in the event of an outage.

Everyone should make their own decisions about the best electricity plan for their households. A simple way to do this is to compare your options at www.energymadeeasy.gov.au

You can also ask Energy Locals to provide an estimate of your savings by joining SA VPP, just by sending a copy of your recent electricity bill to them at savpp@energylocals.com.au

Without changing their energy usage, a typical customer joining SA VPP is expected to save up to $562 (including GST) off their annual electricity bill, whilst helping provide clean energy to the community and supporting the grid.

This estimate of savings is based on a new residential customer when compared to the Default Market Offer with an annual energy consumption of 4,011 kWh/year on an anytime tariff in SA Power Networks, inclusive of all discounts, and depends on the tenant’s previous tariff and their eligibility for energy and/or cost of living-related concessions.

The bill discount will depend on what kind of electricity contract you had before, how much electricity you use, and if your energy use changes after joining SA VPP.

Households that have signed up to the SA Concession Energy Discount Offer can still join SA VPP.

However, by choosing to join SA VPP, you will move off of the SA Concession Energy Discount Offer and move on to the SA VPP energy plan.

If you are already an SA Concession Energy Discount customer and you want to join SA VPP, you are encouraged to compare both electricity plans carefully, as joining SA VPP may reduce your electricity bills further.

Since the solar and Tesla Powerwall home batteries in SA VPP need to work together, signals are sent to the batteries remotely via software. Home internet connections (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) are the best way to do this quickly and reliably, as they typically have stronger signals than cellular (that is, “mobile internet”) connections.

Tesla expects that each system will use less than 2 GB of data each month.

No. By agreeing to join SA VPP, you’re allowing Tesla to access your home internet connection and provide a stronger SA VPP experience for you and everyone else on the program. Further information will be provided during the installation process.

If you are a Housing SA tenant and you chose to leave SA VPP after a home energy system has been installed on the property, Tesla will reconfigure the system to provide no benefit to the property.

If the system is reconfigured, all the energy generated and stored will instead be exported to the grid to continue to provide benefits to other households participating in SA VPP and you will not get power from the battery in an outage. It is likely the home energy system will remain on your property, even though it will not be used by your property.

The energy system installed at your home is designed to provide power when there is an outage. However depending on your energy use and the type of life-support equipment you have, there may not be enough energy stored in your battery to power your equipment for the duration of the outage.

If you decide to join SA VPP, Energy Locals will ask you to provide information about any life support equipment you have. Please ensure Energy Locals has this information, and is aware of any changes to your circumstances.

You can learn more about power dependency for critical care medical equipment in the home in the SA Health website.

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Information for private households

Private households can join SA VPP by taking up the Tesla Energy Plan. This is a retail offer from Tesla for private households that wish to purchase and enrol their Tesla Powerwall battery in SA VPP.

The Tesla Energy Plan has been designed for customers who have purchased their own Powerwall and solar system. Customers signing up to this program will retain full ownership of their systems, but agree to allow Tesla to operate their Powerwall to maximise the value that can be generated by their system.

In return, customers receive benefits including an exclusive offer on the price of the battery, a Feed in Tariff (FiT) for the solar they export to the grid, no daily supply charge, energy security in the event of an outage and a market leading electricity consumption rate for any energy imported from the grid.

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What are the benefits?

SA VPP offers the chance for Housing SA tenants to lower their electricity bills, and be part of Australia's largest virtual power plant making electricity cleaner and more affordable, reliable and secure for all South Australians.

SA VPP customers have a Tesla Powerwall home battery, with or without solar, installed and maintained at their home, at no cost. In return, you enjoy:

  • Lower electricity prices - an exclusive price for electricity is the lowest residential electricity rate in South Australia guaranteed, 25% lower than the regulated Default Market Offer (based on 4,011 kWh/year on an anytime tariff in SA Power Networks)
  • Blackout protection - Tesla Powerwall home battery reserved to back up your home in a power outage
  • Sustainable electricity - access to renewable energy while helping lower electricity prices across your community when solar is installed

It’s important for SA VPP customers to remember that you will continue to pay for all the electricity you use – whether it comes from the solar, battery or the grid – but it will all be charged at the low electricity rate only available for SA VPP customers.

SA VPP’s electricity rate is even lower than the SA Concession Energy Discount Offer, and 25% cheaper than the standard electricity price (known as the Default Market Offer).

Watch Tesla's video: Why join South Australia's Virtual Power Plant

Note: Energy Locals and Tesla review this offer annually to ensure it is the lowest generally available single rate residential offer in South Australia as of 31 August of that year. If a tier 1 energy retailer releases an offer with a lower rate, Energy Locals and Tesla will reduce their offer to align with the cheaper competitive offer (within 60 days of becoming aware of the cheaper offer). Contact Tesla on 08 7100 1294 to find out more.

Note: A typical customer joining SA VPP can save up to $562 (including GST) off their annual electricity bill, while generating clean energy for the community and supporting the grid (based on the annual saving estimate for a new residential customer when compared to the Default Market Offer with an annual energy consumption of 4,011 kWh/year on an anytime tariff in SA Power Networks, inclusive of all discounts). Savings will vary depending on your usage and is dependent on a tenant’s previous tariff and their eligibility for energy and/or cost of living-related concessions.

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Hear from people already saving with SA VPP

Over 4,000 Housing SA tenants are already benefiting from being part of SA VPP. Hear some of their stories in these videos.

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Contact

If you are an SA VPP customer and have a question about your electricity supply or your electricity bill, contact Energy Locals on 08 7078 8082.

If you are an SA VPP customer and have a question about battery or solar  at your home, contact the Tesla customer support team on PowerwallSupportNA@tesla.com or 1800 646 952.

If you have any questions about the South Australian government’s role in the project, contact us on vpp@sa.gov.au or call the VPP hotline on  08 8226 2414. Alternatively, you can send us mail addressed to GPO Box 320, Adelaide, South Australia 5001.

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