Solahart customers in the AusNet Distribution Services Network are invited to participate in a trial program to create a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) for the Hume region of north-east Victoria in the AusNet Distribution Services Network.

This VPP will remotely co-ordinate a fleet of connected Solahart PowerStore water heaters, batteries and solar power systems installed in households in our region to manage the amount of energy being consumed and the amount being fed back into the grid at various times through the day.

The objective of the VPP is to provide a greater level of stability for our grid and a more reliable service for our region as we transition towards higher levels of renewable energy.

By participating in the program you are joining a VPP and agreeing to have your Solahart PowerStore managed remotely. When there is too much solar power being generated in the network (known as minimum demand), we will adjust your PowerStore to use more electricity from your solar system, and sometimes from the grid.

When there is too much demand for electricity in the network (known as peak demand), we will adjust your PowerStore to consume less electricity from the grid.

The same will apply for any other appliances you register including a battery, electric vehicle charger or PV system.

During the period of the trial, your system will be controlled at various times to ensure that demand for electricity matches supply and the network remains stable.

As part of our management of the VPP, we will monitor your appliances in real time to ensure their reliable operation. For example, we can monitor how much hot water is stored in your tank to ensure you don’t run out of hot water.

While your service will be actively controlled, one of the key goals of the pilot, is that participants will not even notice that their system is being managed.

We are looking for another 100 new participants in the AusNet Services DNSP to join the program before 20 January  2023, so you’ll need to be quick to take advantage of this opportunity.

Applications for the Project EDGE trial have now closed.

Solahart Program EDGE VPP Further Information

Project EDGE is designed to explore ways that homeowners can benefit from helping the electricity grid when it is under stress. The grid can become unstable when there is either too much demand (e.g. during the evening peak period), or when there is too little demand (e.g. on cool sunny days in areas with lots of rooftop solar).The best way to help the grid during times of peak demand is to move appliance energy use to other times of the day. As part of the Project we will try to minimise your energy use during peak periods where possible. If you have a battery, we will occasionally export some of the stored energy at times when there will be maximum benefit for the grid. During times when there is too much solar in the grid and not enough demand, the most beneficial action is to use your PowerStore to consume more of your own solar power, reduce the amount of solar being produced or draw power from the grid instead. As part of the Project we will occasionally react to extreme conditions with two levels of response:

“Zero export”: where your solar production will be reduced so that there is no power going to the grid, but your household loads will still be supplied using solar power.

“Maximum response”: where solar production will be stopped completely and your connected appliances will be told to draw power from the grid. Because of the number of factors affecting the stability of the grid, there will likely be some days where your system will not be impacted at all, while on other days your appliances may be called upon multiple times. Each time your appliances are controlled as part of the project there may be a small opportunity cost to you in the form of reduced export revenue or the purchase of additional grid energy. Our objective is to keep this opportunity cost to less than a dollar a day on average to ensure that you benefit from participating in the Project.

Solahart Project EDGE Terms & Conditions