Project Jupiter Promises Better VPP Programs In WA

Federal funding has been announced for a project in Western Australia that will enable more owners of solar panels and home batteries to join Virtual Power Plants.

The South West Interconnected System (SWIS) is the main electricity grid in Western Australia, servicing an area from Albany in the south to Kalbarri in the north to Kalgoorlie in the east – and includes Perth.

Home solar power is very popular in the SWIS, with around 40 per cent of households with rooftop systems. Rooftop solar alone met around 26% of SWIS electricity demand last year, up from 25.2% in 2023.

Home battery installations are also on the increase, as is uptake of EVs. All of these are considered Distributed Energy Resources – or DER – along with other appliances such as air-conditioners and home energy management systems. The challenge is integrating it all to play nice with the electricity network, in what is Australia’s (and the world’s) largest isolated grid.

To that end, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $20.8 million in funding to Western Power for the development of solutions focused on operating Distributed Energy Resources within the SWIS under an initiative called Project Jupiter¹.

“Project Jupiter will be the first live DER marketplace in Australia that is integrated with the wholesale market, marking an important milestone in Australia’s renewable transition,” said ARENA CEO Darren Miller.

As well as seeking to better orchestrate DER, ARENA says Western Australians who join a VPP will be able to access retail products supporting improved returns on their investments. And among the benefits of better grid management² will be downward pressure on electricity prices for all SWIS households and businesses.

According to Western Power Head of Distribution Energy Transition Andrew Blaver, all new distributed energy resources connected to the SWIS will be able to participate in a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) by 2028.

Commenting on Project Jupiter, Federal Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy and Member for Fremantle Josh Wilson said:

“Our state is an ideal place to pioneer the rollout of virtual power plants at scale. Just as we leverage the mineral resources in our great state, Project Jupiter will harness WA’s incredible home solar potential in a way that benefits everyone through lowers costs, improved grid stability, and lower carbon emissions.”

Building On (And Learning From) Project Symphony

Project Jupiter will take note of the outcomes of Project Symphony, a pilot VPP initiative in Western Australia that finished up in late 2023.

The project involved around 900 DERs such as rooftop solar, batteries, air conditioners and other appliances across 500 homes and businesses in Perth’s Southern River area. A collaboration between Synergy, Western Power and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), Project Symphony had support from Energy Policy WA and received funding from ARENA under the agency’s Advancing Renewables Program.

Among the recommendations resulting from Project Symphony were better communications – not just in relation to households and businesses participating, but between project partners and even DER assets. One of the issues on the customer side was information on how participants’ assets were being used was lacking. Most participants felt orchestration was poorly communicated and was not well understood.

Participants were given upfront orchestration payments, but the trial also showed a lack of clear financial visibility and payments exceeded the project’s impact. The lessons will inform the development of new products, tariffs and education programs to support customer participation under Project Jupiter.

A final report on the lessons learned from Project Symphony can be viewed here.

Jupiter image: Jean-Pol Grandmont | CC BY 3.0

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/wa-project-jupiter-vpp-mb3107/