State-owned manager of Western Australia’s (WAs) South West Interconnected System (SWIS) Western Power has been allocated $20.8 million (USD 12.9 million) from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for its Project Jupiter, which for the first time in Australia will integrate a live distributed energy resources (DER) marketplace with wholesale markets.
The funds will bolster development of an end-to-end commercial solution for integrating DER that generate, store, or manage electricity close to where it is used, such as rooftop solar, battery storage, electric vehicles (EVs) and smart meters, with the wholesale electrity market (WEM).
Project Jupiter builds on the recently completed Project Symphony, and is being undertaken over three years in partnership with Western Power, WA energy generator and retailer Synergy, Energy Policy WA (EPWA) and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
ARENA Chief Executive Officer Darren Miller said Project Jupiter is vital for integrating DER into the SWIS at scale without compromising the reliability and security of Western Australia’s main power system.
“Australia has some of the highest levels of DER globally, with no signs of slowing down. This uptake presents a big opportunity to decarbonise while helping consumers get more value, but it also poses challenges to the grid if not integrated effectively,” Miller said.
The electricity network transformation roadmap (ENTR) estimates that DER resources may contribute up to 45% of Australia’s electricity generation capacity by 2050.
About 40% of households within the WA SWIS have rooftop solar panels, with around 30,000 new systems installed each year. Household battery systems are also being installed at an increasing rate, which enable clean energy to be stored for later use.
Using the findings and recommendations from Project Symphony, Project Jupiter will deliver the technical solutions to allow DER in the SWIS to be coordinated and participate in the market via virtual power plants (VPPs), but it will develop new customer products, tariffs and education programs to support customer participation and allow customers to gain more value from their DER investments.
Western Power Head of Distribution Energy Transition Andrew Blaver said Project Jupiter will accelerate the opportunity for Western Australian households to join VPPs and earn value from their assets.
“This project will enable more consumers to join VPPs using their solar panels and home batteries, revolutionising how our energy system operates,” Blaver said.
“By 2028, all new DER connected to WA’s network will be able to participate in a VPP, allowing households to unlock greater value from their energy investments.”
ARENA has also supported over $200 million of DER projects and established the distributed energy integration program (DEIP) a collaboration of government agencies, market authorities, industry and consumer associations aimed at maximising the value of customers’ DER for all energy users.
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