Australia’s competition and consumer regulator, the ACCC, warns that the transition away from coal could face major cost blowouts unless millions of households participate in “virtual power plants”. Multiple outlets report that the ACCC’s concern centres on the need for sufficient battery capacity to be coordinated at scale. The regulator argues that battery systems in homes and businesses can help manage electricity supply and demand, but that this only becomes practical when large numbers of customers agree to share control of their batteries through aggregators and related technologies.
The reports say the ACCC is urging industry and policymakers to ensure the shift from coal is supported by infrastructure and arrangements that allow broader household participation. Without wider uptake of virtual power plant models, the regulator suggests the electricity system may lack the flexibility required during the coal phase-down, potentially increasing costs for consumers.
All accounts present the same core message: coordinated battery control using distributed household resources is positioned as a key requirement to reduce financial and operational risks in the coal-to-clean-energy transition.
