VPP programs in Australia
Every program we've checked against the operator's own page, with its headline terms. Conditions and caps stay attached to each figure. Program names link to the full terms and eligible batteries.
| Program | Type | Status | States | Headline credits | Lock-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GloBird ZEROHERO VPP GloBird Energy | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | NSW, VIC, QLD and SA | Free grid charging: 3 hours a day ZEROHERO credit: $1 a day, when you avoid grid usage between 6pm and 9pm local time Evening battery exports: Up to 10c per kWh, for up to 15 kWh a day exported between 6pm and 9pm; the exact rate is in your plan's Energy Fact Sheet Critical peak (ZEROLIMIT add-on): Up to $1 per kWh, during price spikes Fee, Sign-up and ongoing fees: None, per GloBird | No lock-in contracts; you can opt in or out any time. |
| AGL Virtual Power Plant AGL | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | NSW, VIC, QLD and SA | Welcome credit: $200 Ongoing credit: $80 a year, a $20 bill credit every quarter Event credit: $1 per kWh, for every kWh your battery charges from or discharges to the grid during VPP events, up to 250 kWh a year, paid at the end of each 12-month period | No lock-in is stated for the VPP; check AGL's VPP terms and conditions before joining. |
| Origin Loop Origin Energy | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | NSW, VIC, QLD, SA and ACT | Sign-up bonus: $200, credited to your Origin electricity account (incl. GST) Event credit: $1 per kWh, for energy exported to the grid during Loop events, up to 200 kWh a year | No lock-in contract; you can leave at any time. |
| Amber SmartShift Amber Electric | Wholesale-price battery trading | Open to new customers | NSW, VIC, QLD, SA and ACT | Export earnings: Wholesale price, exports are paid at the wholesale spot price, which moves every five minutes and can go negative Fee, Membership: $25 a month | No penalties for switching SmartShift off. |
| Plico VPP Plico Energy | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | WA | Event export payment: 3x your tariff, for energy exported during VPP events. Plico states a minimum of 97c/kWh on its WA VPP page and 99c/kWh on its join page Fee, Sign-up and ongoing fees: None, per Plico | Plico's VPP pages don't state a contract term; ask Plico before you join. |
| Synergy Battery Rewards Synergy | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | WA | Event export credit: 70c per kWh, for every kWh exported to the grid during activation events | Two-year term. |
| Reposit GridCredits Reposit Power | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | Reposit's help pages don't list which states GridCredits is available in; ask Reposit. | GridCredits: $1 per kWh, during GridCredits events, paid to your nominated bank account each quarter; credits don't expire | No lock-in is stated for GridCredits. |
| EnergyAustralia PowerResponse EnergyAustralia | Demand response (no battery needed) | Open to new customers | NSW, VIC and SA | Per event: $1, each time you choose to take part Energy saved: $2 per kWh, for every kWh you save during an event | Unsubscribe any time in My Account. |
| ActewAGL VPP ActewAGL | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | NSW and ACT | Battery Saver plan: Half the daily supply charge, while you're connected to the VPP Battery Power Top-Up: $60 a quarter, $240 a year, added to another ActewAGL residential plan Sign-up bonus: $100, new customers, conditions apply | No lock-in contracts. |
| CovaU VPP Plan CovaU | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | NSW and VIC | VPP event credit: 15c per kWh, for battery discharge during VPP events, 5pm to 9pm; outside events your normal feed-in tariff applies Free import window: $0/kWh, 11am to 2pm, per CovaU's plan table | Bring your own battery: month to month, no lock-in. Discounted battery offer: a three-year term with a pro-rata early termination fee of up to $2,000 (incl. GST). Either way you can end the agreement on 30 days' notice. |
| Diamond Energy WATTBANK VPP Diamond Energy | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | NSW, VIC, QLD and SA | WATTBANK VPP credit: $250 to $450 a year, set by your solar, battery and inverter size: $250 (up to 7 kW solar, 10 kWh battery, 5 kW inverter), $275, $350, or $450 (up to 18 kW solar, 20 kWh battery, 15 kW inverter); incl. GST Battery usage credit: 30c per kWh, for energy exported to the grid between 6pm and 8am (incl. GST) Fee, Establishment fee: $68, incl. GST; waived for new systems financed with Plenti | No lock-in contract and no exit fees; you can cancel at any time. |
| ENGIE VPP (Battery Sharing Rewards Network) ENGIE | Battery VPP | Open to new customers | NSW, VIC, QLD and SA | Sign-up credit: Shown after ENGIE's eligibility check, ENGIE shows the amount only once you've checked eligibility Monthly credit: Shown after ENGIE's eligibility check, paid every month you're in the VPP, whether or not ENGIE uses your battery | An ongoing contract; ENGIE's VPP page states no exit fee. Check the VPP special conditions before joining. |
Ended: Tesla Energy Plan (Tesla) ended on 30 September 2025 for all customers. It isn't in the table or the counts on this page.
Checking a particular battery? The VPP battery compatibility table shows which batteries each program names.
What is a VPP, exactly?
A Virtual Power Plant aggregates many home batteries (and sometimes hot-water systems and air conditioners) into a single resource the operator can dispatch. The operator, usually a retailer or a specialist, can draw on part of your battery's stored energy at set moments: peak-demand events, grid support, or wholesale price spikes.
How much of your battery the operator can use, when, and how much it leaves in reserve for you is set by each program's terms; the program pages list them.
VPP programs by state
Availability depends on your state, and sometimes your network. Pick your state for the programs open there:
The kinds of program
Several things marketed near "VPP" work differently. Each program page states its type at the top.
Battery VPP
The operator dispatches your battery during grid or price events and pays credits for it. Programs of this type: GloBird ZEROHERO VPP, AGL Virtual Power Plant, Origin Loop, Plico VPP, Synergy Battery Rewards, Reposit GridCredits, ActewAGL VPP, CovaU VPP Plan, Diamond Energy WATTBANK VPP, ENGIE VPP (Battery Sharing Rewards Network).
Wholesale-price battery trading
A retail plan that passes wholesale prices through and trades your battery automatically; earnings move with the market. Programs of this type: Amber SmartShift.
Demand response (no battery needed)
You're paid for using less power during events. Nothing is dispatched, and no battery is needed. Programs of this type: EnergyAustralia PowerResponse.
Downsides and trade-offs of joining a VPP
What joining asks of you, from the terms of the 12 open programs we list. Whether it suits you depends on your battery, your plan and how you use power, so each program page has the full terms.
- The operator uses part of your battery. During events the operator charges, discharges or holds your battery, so that energy isn't there for your own use later. Reserves the operators state: AGL Virtual Power Plant: Up to 20% of your battery is held as a power reserve for you; Origin Loop: Tesla Powerwall 2 owners are always left with at least 20% of capacity; ActewAGL VPP: Minimum state of charge of 20%: ActewAGL won't drain your battery below it; CovaU VPP Plan: Reserve: approximately 20% of your battery's usable capacity; CovaU won't dispatch below your reserve setting.
- Event use is capped each year. Programs cap how much the operator can use, and per-kWh event credits stop at the cap. AGL Virtual Power Plant: Event energy is capped at 250 kWh a year (charge plus discharge); Origin Loop: Origin can use a maximum of 200 kWh from your battery a year; Synergy Battery Rewards: No more than 30 activation events a year, each up to 6 hours (typically two to three); ENGIE VPP (Battery Sharing Rewards Network): Up to 400 kWh of charging, discharging or holding over any rolling 12 months (for sign-ups from 22 April 2026 in VIC and 24 April 2026 in NSW, SA and QLD).
- Most programs come with a retail plan. 10 of the 12 open programs we list require you to be a customer of the operator's retailer, so you take that retailer's usage rates, supply charge and feed-in tariff with the VPP.
- Only listed batteries can join. 8 of the 11 open battery programs publish a list of the batteries and inverters they accept. A model that isn't on a program's list can't join that program.
- Some terms give the operator priority or let it change the credits. GloBird ZEROHERO VPP: In the VPP, GloBird may take control of your system at any time, including discharging your battery to the grid, and its right to use the system takes priority over yours; GloBird ZEROHERO VPP: GloBird can change VPP credit rates, time windows and thresholds with written notice.
- Some offers have a fixed term or an exit fee. Synergy Battery Rewards: Two-year term; CovaU VPP Plan: Bring your own battery: month to month, no lock-in. Discounted battery offer: a three-year term with a pro-rata early termination fee of up to $2,000 (incl. GST). Either way you can end the agreement on 30 days' notice.
- Events add battery cycling. Each event charges or discharges your battery on top of your own use. If your battery's warranty limits total energy throughput or cycles, event use counts toward that limit, so check the warranty terms before you join.
- It needs a reliable internet connection, so the operator can reach your battery, and a battery and inverter on the operator's list (see the compatibility table).
Common questions
What is a virtual power plant (VPP)?
A virtual power plant is a network of home batteries that an operator can dispatch together to support the grid or trade in the wholesale market. Your battery still serves your home first; the operator draws on it during events set out in its terms. In exchange you receive bill credits, per-kWh event payments or a battery-focused retail plan, depending on the program.
What does VPP stand for?
Virtual power plant: many home batteries (and sometimes other appliances) that one operator coordinates like a single power station.
What are the downsides of a VPP?
It depends on each program's terms. From the terms of the 12 open programs we list, as checked between 28 and 29 September 2026: the operator uses part of your battery during events, 4 programs cap event use each year, which also caps per-kWh event credits, 10 of the 12 open programs require you to be the operator's retail customer, only batteries on a program's list can join it, GloBird ZEROHERO VPP's terms let the operator take priority or change credits with notice, Synergy Battery Rewards and CovaU VPP Plan have a fixed term or an exit fee on some offers and events add battery cycling, which counts toward any throughput or cycle limit in your battery's warranty. The trade-offs section on this page quotes each operator's own terms.
Is VPP participation mandatory under the Cheaper Home Batteries Program?
No, but your battery must be VPP-capable. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program requires the installed battery to support VPP enrolment, but actual enrolment is optional. You can claim the rebate, install the battery, and never enrol.
How much do VPPs pay?
It depends on the program, and most payments come with a cap or condition. Here's what 6 of the 11 open battery programs pay, as checked between 28 and 29 September 2026: GloBird ZEROHERO VPP (Free grid charging: 3 hours a day; ZEROHERO credit: $1 a day, when you avoid grid usage between 6pm and 9pm local time; Evening battery exports: Up to 10c per kWh, for up to 15 kWh a day exported between 6pm and 9pm; the exact rate is in your plan's Energy Fact Sheet; Critical peak (ZEROLIMIT add-on): Up to $1 per kWh, during price spikes; fees: Sign-up and ongoing fees: None, per GloBird). AGL Virtual Power Plant (Welcome credit: $200; Ongoing credit: $80 a year, a $20 bill credit every quarter; Event credit: $1 per kWh, for every kWh your battery charges from or discharges to the grid during VPP events, up to 250 kWh a year, paid at the end of each 12-month period). Origin Loop (Sign-up bonus: $200, credited to your Origin electricity account (incl. GST); Event credit: $1 per kWh, for energy exported to the grid during Loop events, up to 200 kWh a year). Amber SmartShift (Export earnings: Wholesale price, exports are paid at the wholesale spot price, which moves every five minutes and can go negative; fees: Membership: $25 a month). Plico VPP (Event export payment: 3x your tariff, for energy exported during VPP events. Plico states a minimum of 97c/kWh on its WA VPP page and 99c/kWh on its join page; fees: Sign-up and ongoing fees: None, per Plico). Synergy Battery Rewards (Event export credit: 70c per kWh, for every kWh exported to the grid during activation events). The table above lists all 12 programs.
Will the VPP drain my battery during a blackout?
Each program sets its own reserve. From the operators' terms: AGL Virtual Power Plant: Up to 20% of your battery is held as a power reserve for you. Origin Loop: Tesla Powerwall 2 owners are always left with at least 20% of capacity. Origin Loop: Your battery isn't drawn on during a blackout. Amber SmartShift: You can charge, export or preserve manually, or switch SmartShift off at any time with no penalty. CovaU VPP Plan: Reserve: approximately 20% of your battery's usable capacity; CovaU won't dispatch below your reserve setting. Diamond Energy WATTBANK VPP: Diamond can charge or discharge part or all of your system to the grid at any time, and preserve capacity at times it chooses.
Can I leave a VPP?
Check each program's terms; the table above shows every program's lock-in. As checked between 28 and 29 September 2026: GloBird ZEROHERO VPP: No lock-in contracts; you can opt in or out any time. AGL Virtual Power Plant: No lock-in is stated for the VPP; check AGL's VPP terms and conditions before joining. Origin Loop: No lock-in contract; you can leave at any time. Amber SmartShift: No penalties for switching SmartShift off. Plico VPP: Plico's VPP pages don't state a contract term; ask Plico before you join. Synergy Battery Rewards: Two-year term.