{"id":53370,"date":"2021-08-26T06:12:12","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T19:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=53370"},"modified":"2021-08-26T06:12:12","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T19:42:12","slug":"kalgoorlie-boulder-vpp-mb2131","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/kalgoorlie-boulder-vpp-mb2131\/","title":{"rendered":"Kalgoorlie-Boulder School VPP Nearing Prime Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kalgoorlie<\/p>\n

Western Australia’s Education Minister was in Kalgoorlie yesterday officially launching the new Virtual Power Plant at Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School.<\/p>\n

In August last year, the McGowan Government\u00a0 announced a $66.3 million renewable energy package<\/a> that included $4.4 million for rooftop solar and batteries to transform up to 10 schools into Virtual Power Plants<\/a> (VPPs). The pilot’s focus is on building capability and technology to support a blueprint for future VPP rollouts.<\/p>\n

Among the Schools VPP pilot aims is helping schools better understand and manage their energy use, and also enhancing electricity grid stability and reliability. A bonus from the program is the provision of educational opportunities for students; helping prepare some for the renewable energy workforce of the future. Learning resources related to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education are being developed as part of the pilot.<\/p>\n

“We want students in Western Australia to embrace science and new technologies,” said<\/a> Education Minister Sue Ellery. “Turning schools into virtual power plants gives students a practical look at how energy is generated in a sustainable way.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The rollout of VPPs also offers the potential for reduced investment in large-scale electricity generation assets such as a coal or gas-fired power stations and long-distance electricity distribution networks.<\/p>\n

The first participating school named was Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School<\/a> in Kalgoorlie, which is situated some 595 kilometres east-northeast of Perth. It was initially expected the school’s VPP would up and running by the end of 2020, but last year being what it was, it was a rather ambitious timeframe and no surprise it didn’t happen.<\/p>\n

But installation of the Tesla battery system is now finally complete, although the virtual power plant isn’t expected to be operational until late this year.<\/p>\n

Schools VPP Pilot Expansion Announced<\/h2>\n

Other schools to have already been named as participants are:<\/p>\n