SwitchDin helps bring WA's largest virtual power plant to life
Last year SwitchDin was selected to provide key capabilities and expertise into the ground-breaking Project Symphony, Western Australia’s largest virtual power plant (VPP).
Project Symphony has now officially launched, going live with over 300 customers enrolled and over 650 contracted devices and those numbers expected to grow as the project progresses.
The project is a partnership between the Western Australian Government, Western Power, Synergy, Energy Policy WA and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), and has received support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program.
Project Symphony is planning for the future of the WA grid, with implications for electricity grids everywhere. It lays the groundwork for WA to integrate distributed energy resources (DER) into its everyday energy system operations, in line with the state’s DER Roadmap - and to the benefit of the local community and the grid.
What is SwitchDin delivering for Project Symphony?
SwitchDin plays a key role in Project Symphony’s day-to-day operations, delivering orchestration and control capabilities that are essential in the project’s success. The months prior to the launch involved building and testing these capabilities,
As of the Project Symphony launch, SwitchDin is providing:
Simultaneous management of dynamic operating envelopes, network services and energy balancing services, and frequency services with DER
Integration of a wide range of DER brands and types, including solar inverters, batteries, air-conditioners and hot water systems
Orchestration of ‘behind the meter’ assets at all residential sites in the project
As Project Symphony progresses SwitchDin will also deliver frequency service functionality as well as connectivity and management for the City of Armadale’s battery and solar array and the front-of-the-meter (FoM) battery being installed by Western Power.
These capabilities represent a huge step forward for VPPs everywhere, and are elements that SwitchDin is also deploying with other clients around Australia. They also demonstrate the scale of Project Symphony’s ambitions in harnessing the ‘people power’ of DER to power the grid.
“It's great to see hundreds of customers embracing Project Symphony,” said WA Energy Minister Bill Johnston in a press release about the launch. “Their participation will provide valuable insights into how Western Australia's electricity system can be strengthened to continue to provide reliable, secure, and affordable 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.”
Project Symphony is one example of how SwitchDin is helping to build the clean, distributed grids that the world urgently needs. SwitchDin’s work with Project Symphony and complements other projects we are driving around Australia, including Flexible Exports in South Australia and Victoria, the Alice Springs Future Grid Solar Connect VPP in the Northern Territory, and Simply Energy’s national VPP.
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