Ara Ake Award for Innovation 2022
Winner: solarZero for The solarZero VPP
We have created a range of innovations. At the national level our systems respond within milliseconds to a frequency event. At the regional level our systems are visible with the Aurora Energy control room for the Upper Clutha Virtual Power Plant project. Further, Aurora Energy can control these batteries.
The challenge we sought to address was to develop a virtual power plant that can operated at a range of scales: National, regional and local. solarZero operates one of the world’s top 3 virtual power stations, the largest in Australasia. The VPP is delivered by the solarZero battery platform which the company designed, developed and manufacture with its joint venture partner Panasonic.
The VPP operates nationally and regionally, providing ancillary services to the grid. Nationally by providing services to Transpower, both system operation and grid operation, and regionally by offering local services to lines companies.
