More affordable, smarter renewable energy isn’t some distant fantasy. Solar batteries and the AGL Virtual Power Plant are here helping families like Dylan’s today.
Dylan Verheijden, VPP customer and Head of Technology, Trading and Supply Portfolio at AGL, explains how the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) can help Australians take control of the power they use.
The AGL VPP is not a regular power plant that you might remember from ‘The Simpsons’ episodes. It’s a community-focused solution for more affordable renewable energy.
Traditional power sources draw and distribute power from one central point - for example, a wind farm or a coal-fired power plant. The AGL VPP draws from multiple points – such as solar batteries – and communicates through cloud technology to create a pop-up power plant.
In 2019, Dylan had a solar battery system installed into his home. He joined the AGL VPP because he wanted to play his part in transitioning to a lower carbon future.
“I’m proud of the leadership role AGL is playing in this space,” Dylan says.
He uses the AGL app to track his solar generation, battery performance and overall usage. He loves having access to everything in one place and watching the data change over time with daily and weekly graphs – it all helps him stay on top of his energy bills.
Even his kids love it. “They find the charts fascinating. They’re too young to understand them fully, but they know how our battery and solar panels work. They even comment on how our electricity generation and battery must be going on sunny or cloudy days,” said Dylan.
As a customer, he loves the experience, but it’s also fantastic to witness what happens behind the scenes.
Dylan and his team build the applications for several programs at AGL, including the back-end technology for our VPP. Working closely with data scientists and customer and digital teams, they combine data and technology to deliver innovative solutions.
Today we now have trillions of data points, giving our customers real-time information about how their solar and battery system is performing. This is thanks to AGL’s investments in cloud technology over the years. years.
“It’s exciting to be part of the team that’s working behind the scenes to support our VPP – and to experience this as a customer too,” says Dylan. “I can share my own experience directly to ensure we provide the best experience for our customers.”
We can help you install a solar system and bettery so you can join the VPP's growing network today.
