Innovation
In an evolving market, innovation is essential.
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No junk mail please: why customers need to know about dynamic operating envelopes
With networks introducing dynamic operating envelopes to mediate customers' access to the grid, we explore the need for a customer-centric regulatory design.
Maximising solar to support Australia’s evolving grid, part 2
In our previous article, we touched on some of the challenges of managing the increasing amount of rooftop solar energy entering the system,...
Maximising solar to support Australia’s evolving grid, part 1
Australia has fallen in love with rooftop solar PV, leading the world in its uptake, with investment reaching almost eight times the worldwide...
Where the rubber hits the road on electric vehicles
How market forces and government policy must converge to drive adoption.
Customer driven innovation
For more than 180 years, AGL has been innovating with our customers to deliver increasingly simple and convenient experiences that provide choice, value and flexibility.
Customer driven innovation
For more than 180 years, AGL has been innovating with our customers to deliver increasingly simple and convenient experiences that provide choice, value and flexibility.
Innovative by design: giving customers the tech to drive the energy transition
AGL and OVO join forces to bring Kaluza to Australia.
Illuminating insights with data
How will residential batteries change the operating conditions of distribution networks in the future?
Ask AGL…
Did you know you can ‘Ask Alexa’ to help you monitor your energy usage? Amazon Alexa has developed an app so you can ask her to pay your bill, help you understand and manage your energy consumption, and even let you know when it’s the right time to turn off household appliances!
AGL for Business takes self-service to new heights
Our new online management tool, AGL for Business, makes energy accounting far easier for our commercial and industrial customers.
Providing consumers the best outcomes from integrating distributed energy resources
Arrangements that will provide consumers the best outcomes from integrating Distributed Energy Resources into our electricity system.
Integrating distributed energy resources into our energy market system
The key decision-makers in integrating Distributed Energy Resources into our electricity system.
Generator Registration Thresholds
The rule change request submitted by the AEC on 15 December 2018 seeks to increase the participation of smaller generators in central dispatch to enable improved management of the power system and the efficient operation of the market.
Energy storage solutions can drive energy affordability
Home batteries can play a key role in helping energy consumers take control of their energy usage and costs.
Tech careers in focus: Meet Alisha
Alisha Bailey, Head of Digital Product and Experience in AGL’s Future Business and Technology team was recently awarded Digital Experience Leader of the Year in the 2020 Women in Digital Awards. Read her story.
The good stuff happens at the intersection
From lighting Australia’s first gas street lamp in Sydney in 1841 to embracing new technology, we’ve been innovating to support Australian communities for more than 180 years. Today, we’re collaborating with customers, startups, entrepreneurs & other businesses to spark new ideas about how we better serve our customers.
Dylan’s battery experience
When our VPP customers check their billing, they can now also see performance data about their solar & battery system. Hear more about this Australian-first digital experience from Dylan Verheijden, one of our unique customers who's also on the team behind the tech!
Spotlight on: Virtual Power Plants
A virtual power plant – it sounds so futuristic! And while VPPs are definitely part of our energy future, the concept is simple – and happening right now.
Unleashing the power of innovation
What do a civil engineer, a concert pianist, and a marketing creative have in common? They’re our Entrepreneurs in Residence – three people charged with coming up with unconventional solutions to the future’s problems.
Tech Careers in Profile: an incurable optimist
Big data increasingly influences our daily lives. It takes someone with a very particular set of skills to interpret that data and turn it into results for our customers and communities – someone like Sarah Dods.
What it means to put the customer first
For almost two centuries, AGL has been focused on innovating to enhance the lives of Australians. Our Chief Customer Officer, Christine Corbett, explains how this is central part of our FY20 results.
You little butane at Wallumbilla
Butane is a useful gas, with almost limitless applications. In fact, you’ve probably used some today already with your own hands. And now we’re using it in a world-first to power one of our Queensland sites in a more sustainable and efficient way.
Evolving as the market evolves
As the renewables market continues to mature, our generation portfolio is continuing to evolve so it can best meet the needs of the market with flexible and firming generation and storage.
Coal, conveyor belts, and creativity
30 km of coal conveyors feed AGL Loy Yang. What happens when you need to clean spillage, but the right tool for the job doesn’t exist? If you’re the operators at Loy Yang, you draw on our history of supporting innovation – and you make your own.
Explainer: TCFD and climate-related risk modelling
As we transition into a new energy future, climate-related risks are a major consideration. That’s why we regularly model future scenarios in accordance with the TCFD.
Spotlight on: flexible generation
The rise of renewable energy and the demand on the national grid is changing. There’s a pivotal need for generation that’s flexible – and that can respond to sudden peaks in demand within minutes. Why is that important – and what does it look like?
Deep dive: pandemic and impacts on the NEM
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly changed fundamental aspects of our daily lives. Many of us are working – and kids are studying – from home. At the same time, many services and businesses – for example, restaurants, shops, gyms, libraries - have had to close their doors, at least temporarily. So what is the cumulative impact of all these changes on electricity supply across the National Electricity Market (NEM)?
Safety under the toughest conditions
As an essential service provider, our people work in some of the toughest places on Earth – like the isolated, remote, 50°C Cooper Basin. But be it there, or in your home or business, safety is paramount.
LED there be light
How many dollars does it take to change tens of thousands of light bulbs? We know exactly how many: $500,000, every year, just in maintenance costs. That’s one of many reasons we’re upgrading our power station lighting to long-lasting LEDs.
Breaking down barriers to rooftop solar
This year marks the third year of the Gill Owen Essay Prize – a prize for young Australians who seek to build on Dr Owen’s legacy by discussing changes to policy which could improve our future outlook for energy efficiency and social equity – two areas in which Dr Owen campaigned tirelessly.
Drones: taking inspections to new depths
The use of drone technology is rapidly growing, from amateur enthusiasts to trained and qualified pilots in steel caps inspecting industrial sites.
Investing in the future of work
Over the past few weeks, working from home has become the norm for millions of people around the world.
Explainer: the duck curve
The energy sector is infamously jargon-heavy, and even with a handy glossary of terms at your fingertips it can often be a tough slog reading about developments and issues in the energy industry. One rather abstract term cropping up more frequently is the ‘duck curve’ – but what is a duck curve? And what does it have to do with energy?
People-powered progress at Mount Beauty
How often do you find a mother and son working together in the new renewable energy sector? Well, that’s what Marion and Ken Birt do – and it works for them.
From data to results at the speed of light
AGL’s General Manager Data & Analytics, Dayle Stevens, talks with our Executive General Manager Group Operations, Doug Jackson, about the opportunities that big data presents for energy companies.
Protecting the energy industry from cyber attacks
Cyberattacks are a growing problem in the energy sector overseas. The first known successful cyberattack on a power grid happened in the Ukraine in December 2015 using phishing emails with attached hidden malware – it blacked out approximately 230,000 houses.
The digital meter revolution
As the energy mix in Australia continues to evolve to incorporate the rapid growth of renewable generation, new technologies are required to support, enable, and push us into the future. While this technological evolution can be as large in scale as turning cities that mine the earth into cities that mine the sun, it can also be much closer to home – like the evolution of the humble electricity meter.
Spotlight on: batteries
The rapid uptake of renewable generation in Australia – especially rooftop solar, which ANU notes is the largest per-capita in the world – means our energy mix is evolving faster than ever.
Rethinking distributed energy
While Australian consumers continue to lead the world in the uptake of solar installations, the market for other distributed energy resources (DER) is also maturing, including with respect to battery energy storage systems and electric vehicles.
Setting the standards for energy in Australia - literally
According to a recent report by the ANU Energy Change Institute, Australia has about 9 GW of roof mounted solar PV deployed, which is by far the largest per capita rooftop-PV deployment in the world1. So how do energy retailers and infrastructure engineers ensure that people feel confident that their new solar panel, or their battery, or their electric vehicle charger is safe and performs as advertised? This is where Standards Australia comes in.
Lighting up Christmas
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… but how much energy does it take to light up all those Christmas lights? And more importantly, just how many Christmas lights could we light up?
Preparing for the summer period
We’re prepped and ready for the peak summer period. We’ve invested $150m in summer readiness, with preparations for this peak period starting at the end of last summer.
Deep dive: How does stored energy support the NEM?
In a previous article, we explored at how the energy mix is changing, and how lower-cost-renewables are creating a demand profile that is marked by peaks and troughs. Now we take a look at how the future of energy storage can help manage that changing demand profile.
The future of the energy market: the five-minute settlement
In this new world where supply and consumption of electricity is ‘contestable’ – that is, where participants can buy from and sell to whomever will give them the best deal – a new, critical piece of the puzzle was needed. In 1998, the National Electricity Market (NEM) was created.
Deep dive: peaks and troughs in demand
In the middle of the day, the abundance of rooftop solar often produces more energy than the grid needs… but when the sun goes down and everyone heads home, energy demand soars. What are the implications?
How demand response works for commercial and industrial participants
The rapid uptake of renewables has created an energy demand that is peakier than ever, raising the profile – and the importance – of demand response, particularly for commercial and industrial customers. But what is demand response – and why is it so important?
Conducting an orchestra of solar and batteries
By 2025, more than 150,000 Aussie homes will have batteries attached to them. It’s becoming more and more important to orchestrate the discharge of energy to support the grid during times of high demand. But what is orchestration?
Investing in cutting-edge offline protection
We understand the importance of Loy Yang A to Victoria’s electricity supply and that’s why we’re embracing the best tech to maintain and preserve Unit 2 during repairs.
Pumping infrastructure for Loy Yang
Next month AGL Loy Yang will complete DWPS11 – a fire control and pumping system for the Loy Yang mine capable of moving an Olympic pool’s worth of water 300m high in 15 minutes. Find out how this innovation was managed.
Spotlight On: Newcastle Gas Storage Facility
The Newcastle Gas Storage Facility is a crucial piece of energy infrastructure in NSW, delivering a stable and reliable supply of gas to meet ever-changing demand in the region.
Scalable solar: a solution for remote locations?
AGL recently finished a 2.12 MW solar facility at Santos’ Port Bonython hydrocarbon processing facility in South Australia. The modular, bespoke solution is an interesting example for other organisations with remote operations.
Collaborative hydrogen project progressing
The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project is a major collaboration between leading Australian and Japanese companies, and the Victorian, Australian and Japanese Governments.
From glitch to glory: lighting up Sydney 2000
It’s one of the most iconic scenes in Australian sporting history – but a heart-stopping glitch added some extra drama to the Sydney 2000 Opening Ceremony. Find out how a small group of AGL engineers were involved in this infamous moment.
Keep on trucking to peaking power
Keep on trucking! The first of three massive transformers arrive at the Barker Inlet Power Station, which when complete later this year will provide quickstart peaking power and grid stability for South Australia.
Giving customers greater control with Energy Alerts
Want to keep on top of your energy usage with your voice? You can now link your AGL account to Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant and enable notifications.
Introducing AGL PUMP
In response to feedback from our Commercial and Industrial (C&I) business customers, we have developed AGL PUMP (Power Up Modular Purchasing) - a flexible, innovative, digital platform for our business customers to manage their own energy procurement.
Electric vehicles and the broader energy ecosystem
Recently, AGL hosted the Electric Vehicle Council’s second workshop on Electric Vehicle Charging and the Grid. The workshop brought together businesses from across the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain to identify opportunities for action.
Using data to make better decisions
Data and analytics are critical for AGL’s success – in enabling growth opportunities, building trust and helping us respond to an industry that is always changing, where technology is transforming the way customers engage with us.
On the road to delivering more peaking power
Barker Inlet Power Station is a peaking gas plant, which means it’s flexible in rapidly responding to demand. This week, AGL received the first of 12 engines for the power station.
A history fuelled by innovation
Proudly Australian for over 180 years, we’re committed to providing safe, sustainable and affordable energy. And with an innovative spirit fuelling our journey, we’ll keep working hard to meet the needs of our customers and the community
How large scale batteries are charging up an energy mix
Operated by AGL, the ElectraNet 30 MW large-scale battery will enhance SA energy security, by supplying stored-energy during peak periods or whenever renewables aren't available.
Trading sunshine with AGL Solar Exchange
While Australia is leading the way in the installation of rooftop solar systems, there are many people who can’t put panels on their roof. This could be because they are renting, living in an apartment or a home without a suitable roof, or there may be financial constraints preventing the investment.
Empowering business with energy efficiency
Energy prices and lowering lower carbon emissions would have to be amongst the most talked about topics for 2018. In Australia, a lot of this conversation has revolved around where and how energy is generated.
How energy retailers can be disruptors too
AGL was recently recognised at the Australian Computer Society (ACS) Digital Disruptor Awards for delivering industry-leading digital experiences, products and services for our customers.
10 years of research into carbon capture
The transition to a low carbon future will require a range of solutions and this is why we are proud to partner with CSIRO and others in carbon capture research over the past 10 years. But what does this have to do with tomatoes?
One Stop, One Story Vulnerability Hub
The ‘One Stop, One Story Vulnerability Hub’ acts as a connector, bringing the available support to the person rather than them having to seek it through complex pathways, over and over again.
Demystifying demand response
With ongoing debate about the National Energy Guarantee, there has been a bit of discussion about the merits of ‘demand response’. Demand response is a way to help reduce individual customer bills, improve reliability and reduce the average cost to supply electricity to all households and business.
Frequently Asked Questions about Liddell Power Station
Liddell Power Station reaches the end of its technical life in 2022 and can be replaced with the latest technology at a lower cost than trying to keep the plant running.
Submission in response to the Register of Distributed Energy Resources Rule Change Proposal
The Australian Energy Market Commission (Commission) released a Consultation Paper on a rule change proposal brought forward by the COAG Energy Council.
Submission to Infrastructure Victoria on automated and zero emission vehicle infrastructure
The Victorian Government requested that Infrastructure Victoria consult with industry and stakeholders, and conduct research and analysis into what infrastructure the state needs to enable automated (self-driving) vehicles and zero emission vehicles.
Can you build a new coal-fired power station for less than a renewable, gas and storage mix?
AGL has developed a plan to use a mix of renewables, gas and storage to replace the energy produced by Liddell Power Station before its 2022...
Submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Electric Vehicles 2017
AGL hosted its annual Investor Day yesterday, featuring presentations from members of AGL’s Executive Team. Find out more.
Why an energy mix makes more sense than new coal
While carbon risk is a reality that every business needs to assess, the closure of Liddell Power Station and the selection of a mixture of energy...
AGL's 20MW Demand Response project
ARENA and the Australian Energy Market Operator have joined forces with companies from across the energy sector to bring ten exciting projects from eight innovators, spanning New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
FY17 sustainability report: energy prices and affordability
AGL’s FY17 Sustainability Report covers a range of matters of particular interest to our customers. One of these is energy prices and affordability.
Submission on cost benefit analysis of options to collect and share information about small scale battery storage Consultation Paper
AGL made this submission in response to the cost benefit analysis of options to collect and share information about small scale battery storage (consultation paper).
Submission to 'contestability of energy services' rule change consultation
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) is currently consulting on two related rule change proposals, one launched by the COAG Energy Council and the other by the Australian Energy Council.
Submission to Distribution Market Model project
AGL's response to the recent submission to the AEMC in response to the Distribution Market Model project.