By now you probably have a basic idea of how Virtual Power Plants work. You sell your extra battery power back to the grid at a premium rate and pocket the money. Sounds great! But before you make the decision to sign up, it’s important to have some idea of what the day-to-day experience is going to be like.
There are a lot of different Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) out there – some of them great, some of them not so great. At ShineHub, we design every VPP program to ensure you always come out on top! Our VPPs are simple, easy to understand, and free of any hidden catches. What you see is what you get. And what you get is premium payments every time your battery power is used by the grid.
If you want to make extra passive income and take advantage of peak energy prices, our VPP plans are the way to do it. Book a free consultation with our solar experts and find out how you can benefit.
The Day-to-Day in a ShineHub Virtual Power Plant
The main thing to know about belonging to one of ShineHub’s Virtual Power Plants is that nothing really changes for you – other than your bank balance going up. Our simple model means that your solar + battery system does all the work for you. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and wait for the payments to appear in your account.
We have a few different VPP plans on offer, but they all share one thing in common. When you send power to the grid, we pay you a premium rate that’s always above the average price of electricity. There are no lock-in contracts and we’ll never freeze your battery or let energy companies shortchange you on the power you’re sending back to the grid. Read about our VPP plans here, then chat with our friendly experts to find out which one is right for you!
ShineHub Virtual Power Plants – No Strings Attached!
VPPs are great! They’re one of the most promising options as we begin to transition away from coal power. And they pay off for everyone! VPP participants get premium payments for their excess battery power, communities get more stable energy, power providers deal with fewer blackouts, and Australia moves one step closer to a sustainable future.
But, like anything, you have to be a little bit careful. ShineHub VPPs are simple, straightforward solutions designed to deliver for you. But there are other products out there that can be misleading and full of hidden ‘gotchas’. Here are a few things to look out for:
Companies offering upfront payment rather than per kWh market rate
Most VPP plans out there offer you a yearly credit in exchange for complete control of your battery. Sounds pretty good, right? Well, not so fast. If you look a little closer, you can see how this can result in you losing money over the long term.
These VPPs often only pay you the standard solar feed-in tariff in exchange for total control over your battery. That tariff can be as little as a third of the price of grid power. Ultimately, you’ve sold off control of your battery for below-market prices. Soon, that upfront payment starts to erode. You can even end up losing money overall.
With ShineHub’s VPP plans, you earn a per kWh payment every time your the grid uses your battery – and that payment is always higher than the going rate for electricity. That means that no matter what happens, when your power goes to the grid, you’re financially better off. No need to worry about it – just kick back and get paid.
Companies that have the option to ‘freeze’ your battery
If a company has the power to ‘freeze’ your battery, it means they can stop it from powering your home whenever they feel like it. If they freeze your battery, you’ll be stuck paying full price for grid power even if your battery is full!
The whole point of solar + battery power is that you get to control your own power supply and escape the grasp of the grid. Give some faceless energy company control of your battery and you’re giving that freedom away without any benefit!
ShineHub’s mission is to set you free from the old-energy fat cats with their sneaky tricks and hidden fees. When you sign up to ShineHub’s VPP, our simple model means that you’re going to be making money whenever the VPP uses your battery. It’s a simple take on a complex process where everyone wins – but especially you!
FAQs
What happens when there’s a blackout?
During a blackout, the entire solar panel and battery system will disconnect from the grid. If the power is out, no power can go back and forth from your home to the grid – so VPP services cannot be activated. If you have blackout protection as part of your battery system, you can still use your battery power during a blackout.
Can I limit how much power is used for the virtual power plant?
Right now, we don’t have the ability for a home to limit how much power goes back to the grid. This is why we structured the deal to mean you are always financially better off when your power is used for the VPP – so you don’t have to worry about it. Either you use the power yourself, or you make extra money when your battery power is used for the VPP. You can see why we like to keep things simple!
How much will a solar battery save me on my bills?
We get this question a lot so we wrote another blog post on it – you can read that here.
Want to learn more about how you can reduce, or even eliminate your electricity bills with solar, batteries, and VPPs? Read our detailed article about how Virtual Power Plants work. Or book a free consultation and in a few minutes you’ll know if a battery or a Virtual Power Plant is right for you.
