Tesla grows its virtual power plant with its Tesla Energy Plan to NSW, Queensland, and ACT in Australia

Tesla declared the development of its virtual power plant (VPP) powered by its Powerwall to a few new states and regions in Australia. Tesla is extending the country’s biggest virtual power plant to New South Wales, south-east Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory, under the banner of its Tesla Energy Plan.

The declaration was discreetly carried out on the organization’s LinkedIn page, and included very little in the way of details, with just a link to the Tesla Energy Plan page on its Australia website.

The extension of what Tesla portrays as “Australia’s largest virtual power plant, purpose-built for Powerwall owners” is, nevertheless, big news.

Australia, and particularly South Australia, has had a lot of power issues over the years as it resigns maturing infrastructure and attempts to deal with a high penetration of renewable power, which destabilized energy markets because of the inconsistency of the power supply.

Tesla originally got involved by providing its Powerpack in a large energy storage project owned by Neoen that became known as the “Tesla Big Battery.”

While in the region during the launch of the big battery, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was interviewed and given the critical difficulty that Australia’s high electricity costs are putting on low-income families.

The unstable grid and high electricity prices bring about certain families to decide between keeping the lights on or going hungry.

Back in 2019, Tesla opened access to the Tesla Energy Plan in South Australia for Powerwall 2 owners. The cost for the Powerwall 2 was then immediately cut, and with existing South Australian subsidies, the opportunity to install a Tesla Powerwall was never better.

All the more importantly, however, soon thereafter – during an unexpected coal power outage in Queensland – it was South Australian Powerwall owners signed up to the Tesla Energy Plan who acted to the rescue, assisting with keeping the grid stable through the VPP facility.

“Our world-leading technology optimizes the use of your Powerwall based on your energy needs, market conditions, weather, and anticipated grid events to ensure it benefits your home, while also supporting the community with clean renewable energy,” Tesla says on its website.

“In return, you receive competitive energy rates, Grid Support Credits, and Powerwall Credits to reward your participation.”

Musk was noticeably sincerely impacted by the issue and promised that Tesla would “work harder” to assist with tackling the issue.

He wasn’t joking because a few months after the fact Tesla declared that it arrived at an deal with the South Australian government to install solar arrays and Powerwalls on up to 50,000 homes – a significant number of the homes of low-income families.

Throughout the last few years, Tesla has been sending more Powerwalls to develop the virtual power plant, which gives grid services to lessen cost and backup power if there should be an occurrence of a power outage. Consequently, the home battery packs are subsidized and decrease energy costs for the households.

Participation in Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant provides customers with energy savings through adaptable time-of-use rates which assists with lessening power bills while at the same time giving more prominent access to renewable energy all through the local community.

Customers have ensured a minimum 20 percent backup reserve during a grid outage and the Tesla Energy Plan restricts the number of Powerwall discharge cycles to the grid to 50 every year.

To be qualified, clients should have a current or buy a new Powerwall battery, be a residential customer in a qualified Tesla Energy Plan region, have an internet connection and an installed smart meter, or agree to have one installed, and have a solar system of under 15kW per Powerwall.

In 2020, Tesla had 1,000 Powerwalls on the network, and they were approved for a new phase to add another 3,000 batteries.

After a year, the organization extended the program by launching what it calls the “Tesla Energy Plan on the Tesla Virtual Power Plant,” which is essentially a time of use energy plan specifically made for Powerwall proprietors in South Australia.

Last year, Tesla declared that it is extending its Tesla Energy Plan and Tesla Virtual Power Plant to Victoria.

Presently Tesla is reporting one more extension of its virtual power plant to other neighboring states and regions around South Australia and Victoria:

Australia’s biggest Virtual Power Plant has extended to New South Wales, South-East Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory with the Tesla Energy Plan.

Existing Tesla Powerwall proprietors or new purchasers in those regions can now decide to pick into the VPP.

This is one of the main ways by which Tesla’s energy division is gradually becoming a global decentralized energy provider, which is one of the stated goals of Tesla Energy as indicated by CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla takes note that homeowner who signs up for the Tesla Energy Plan shouldn’t stress over their Powerwall batteries being compromised. The organization ensures a minimum 20% backup reserve during grid outages. The Tesla Energy Plan likewise restricts the number of Powerwall discharge cycles to the grid to pretty much 50 per year.

To meet all requirements for the Tesla Energy Plan, homeowners should have a Powerwall battery. They should likewise have an internet connection and an installed smart meter. A solar system of under 15 KW for each Powerfull is likewise encouraged.