Why Australia's battery boom isn't becoming a virtual power plant boom

Why Australia's battery boom isn't becoming a virtual power plant boom

July 14, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

Robbie Campbell discusses the challenges and insights from Australia's battery and virtual power plant landscape.

Virtual power plants have been talked about for years as a crucial part of Australia's clean energy future. But a recent ACCC Electricity Inquiry found fewer than one in four battery owners have signed up to a VPP, despite participants typically paying lower electricity bills than households with solar and batteries alone. So what's holding Australians back? Robbie Campbell, CEO of Plico, Australia's first privately funded residential virtual power plant, explains what they’ve learnt since launching in Western Australia in 2017, what it will take for VPPs to go mainstream, and why his company was built around a virtual power plant from day one, rather than adding it to an existing retail business.

People in this episode

Guest: Robbie Campbell

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Plico, ACCC

Places: Australia, Western Australia

More episodes of SwitchedOn Australia

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the SwitchedOn Australia podcast page.