Project Symphony is fully operational, with over 300 clients and 650 assets signed up to participate in Western Australia’s (WA) largest virtual power plant.
The Harrisdale and Piara Waters trial will examine how distributed energy resources like rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles can benefit customers in a future energy market.
“Congratulations to the more than 300 households and businesses in Harrisdale and Piara Waters who are contributing to this new energy initiative,” Jandakot MLA Yaz Mubarakai said.
Mubarakai stated that Project Symphony could serve as a blueprint for the future of WA’s electricity network, and I eagerly await the results and how they will benefit the community.
Perth’s southern suburbs were chosen for their embrace of renewable energy, with over 50 per cent of households having rooftop solar.
According to the WA Government, virtual power plants could be the future of electricity in WA. Instead of power plants hauling hundreds of kilometres of high-voltage cables, homes might serve as the central power station, thanks to rooftop solar and battery storage.
The Australian Government, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), has provided $8.6 million to the $35.5 million project, which is a collaboration between Western Power, Synergy, Energy Policy WA, and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
The State Government has contributed $19.3 million, with AEMO contributing $7.6 million.
Testing will continue through April 2023, with over 200 client assets now successfully ‘orchestrated’ as a single facility, benefiting the community and network.
Minister for Energy Bill Johnston said It’s wonderful to see so many customers adopting Project Symphony. Minister Johnston stated their participation would provide essential insights into strengthening WA’s energy system so it can continue to provide dependable, secure, and cheap power.
“In the face of a rapidly changing energy industry, customers’ rooftop solar systems, batteries, and air conditioning orchestrated together can play a meaningful role in providing services and stability to the network,” Minister Johnston added.
Minister Johnston said: “Project Symphony is a major deliverable of the McGowan Government’s Distributed Energy Resources Roadmap.”
 largest virtual power plant.){kind=link}