- Synergy
customers rewarded with $100 credit for helping stabilise the electricity
grid
- Overwhelming
response rate for new Solar Rewards product
- New
initiative supports uptake of rooftop solar
A new initiative rewarding Synergy customers with rooftop solar for
helping stabilise Western Australia's main electricity grid has had an
overwhelming response.
Solar Rewards allows Synergy to temporarily turn off participating
households' rooftop solar, when electricity demand is low, while providing no
cost energy to the home from the grid.
The initiative, which went live 1 October, assists in maintaining the
stability of the South West Interconnected System, when rooftop solar
electricity generation is high, but demand is low. Dubbed a low load event,
this typically occurs in the middle of the day in Spring and Autumn.
Households will receive a $100 credit towards their electricity bill, $50 at the beginning and $50 at the end of their contract, and credit to cover electricity consumed during a Solar Rewards event.
More than 2,600 Synergy customers signed up for Solar Rewards during a
targeted campaign, with many more joining the waitlist.
To be eligible, Synergy customers must have a rooftop solar system with
an inverter capacity of five kilowatt or less that is able to be remotely
turned off.
Plico Energy is providing
additional support through its community of 1,600-plus solar and battery
customers via its virtual power plant.
The Solar Rewards initiative will help reduce the need for Emergency
Solar Management, where rooftop solar systems are turned off remotely as a last
resort to protect the grid during emergencies. For more information, visit: https://www.synergy.net.au/solarrewards
Comments attributed to Energy Minister Bill
Johnston:
"Solar Rewards is a win-win initiative and I'm not surprised it's so
popular.
"Participating Synergy customers can save money on their energy bill
while also helping maintain the stability of the grid.
"Solar Rewards is one of many ways the Cook Government is providing a
more sustainable, affordable and reliable energy future for Western Australians."
