Blog
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VPP Smart Feed-in Algorithm: A Check-in
2022-05-18By Javad Jazaeri, Discover Energy VPP Solution Manager In March 2022, Discover Energy launched the VPP Smart Feed-in Algorithm, which is currently helping our VPP customers in SA maximise the value of their solar feed-in by exporting their excess solar when it has a higher value. The algorithm uses machine learning to forecast load and generation at the household level based on the historical data, weather data, retail and network tariffs, and wholesale prices and then uses these forecasts to find the most valuable times to export electricity into the grid. In Discover Energy, we have been trialing this forecast-based algorithm for a number of our customers in South Australia. This figure from 17th May 2022, below shows how this algorithm changed the feed-in pattern for one of our customers. The excess solar and some of the stored electricity were directly fed into the grid in the morning when the feed-in had a higher value the grid needed more electricity. The total amount of solar being exported was the same, only the time of export was shifted to periods with higher feed-in value. The algorithm ensured that enough solar energy was available to fully charge the battery before the peak period. Figure: Data from VPP customer in SA,17 May 2022 For more information, visit https://www.discoverenergy.com.au/vpp
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Discover Energy Sales Update – May 2022
2022-05-1213th May 2022 Current Discover Energy customers may be aware of upcoming changes to their rates and offers, while new or prospective customers may have noticed that we have closed the sales function of the website, and are currently not accepting any new sign-ups. Below is a short explainer on why we have made these changes. We hope to open up sales as soon as possible. If you have any queries please contact customerservice@discoverenergy.com.au , chat to us via the chat box or ring 1300 658 519. Why have we stopped selling? We will have to stop accepting any new customers on market offers as we are reviewing our current pricing for electricity and gas in all states and anticipate a SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE in prices for all customer usage on our gas and electricity plans. And as such we would not like to welcome any new customers to Discover Energy with a price rise expected in the first week or two of being our customer. Why are we lifting prices? Wholesale prices are increasing – AEMO* recently reported a 141% increase year on year and the Wholesale prices have continued to increase in April and May averaging nearly $200 NEM wide. So far in 2022 there has been unprecedented conditions in the wholesale market – prices of oil, gas and coal have seen significant increases because of world events such as the war in Ukraine and the after-effects of Covid-19 on energy supply chains have conspired to increase prices up to 500% in the case of spot gas. Coal and gas generators (and hydro) have passed on these increases to their wholesale costs by pushing up the price they bid generation into the electricity market, with the bid prices for black coal, hydro and gas either tripling or doubling in the market. This has pushed the cost forward of the spot energy that small retailers must purchase to supply our customers. And as we don’t make money when the wholesale market price increases, we have no choice but to pass these increases onto our customers. As a small growing Retailer this price rise affects us adversely because we don’t own large coal or gas generators we just buy excess solar from our customers via feed-in-tariffs; and unfortunately the value of solar in the market has been declining at the same time as the price for peak energy has been increasing. *See AEMO quarterly dynamics report https://aemo.com.au/-/media/files/major-publications/qed/2022/qed-q1-report.pdf?la=en&hash=981BA7016C0C9A25947F0F05198EDB96 What’s does the future look like for electricity prices and Discover Energy customers? In the short-term, the outlook for electricity prices suggests that the prices will likely remain elevated. In the medium term, it is difficult to imagine that coal and gas prices will remain as high as they have been so far in 2022, and so the market expectation is for prices to fall in coming years. As soon as prices are reduced, Discover Energy will share any reductions with our customers. However, the energy industry is going through a major transition where we would expect some further price volatility as the incumbent generators seek to extract as much value from their old generators and the market adjusts to a high renewable and high storage grid. What can customers do now? Unfortunately, all electricity and gas retailers will be forced by the current circumstances to change their prices. At Discover Energy, we will proactively contact customers who recently joined OR who have high peak or annual usage to let them know a change to their rates is coming and discuss what options they have to best manage their bills. This might be to check the government websites such as Energy Made Easy to find a better plan, or move onto a time of use tariff if the customer can lower their consumption in peak periods (generally weekdays – morning and evening). What about VPP and Solar? Discover Energy will continue to support the uptake of Solar and Battery installations in Australia. In fact, we expect that the current electricity market will drive more customers to want to install solar and battery and we will be able to facilitate these installations by our extensive installation partner network thanks to our partner organisation One Stop Warehouse. We will continue to operate our VPP platform and innovate via new smart EV charging and other new technologies that will support our customers and help insulate them against future price rises. Any questions? Need support? Please contact customerservice@discoverenergy.com.au , chat to us via the chat box or ring 1300 658 519.
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DE VPP Online Sign Ups: A Guide
2022-04-28If you have an existing or newly completed battery install, you can sign up to the VPP yourself online in minutes. Simply visit the Discover Energy Compare Plans page and: Enter your site address Click YES to Do you have solar battery system? If you have a solar tariff and clicked YES, a VPP offer will appear in the Energy Plans section. You can now select this plan. An eligibility checklist will then pop up and require you to fill in the details. You will also be able to identify your solar installer (we will double check this info). NB: As per the eligibility criteria, the inverter size should not exceed 10KW in total. If inverter size is greater than 10KW in total, the excess export may be limited. If you are eligible, the eligibility button will have a green tick. You can now proceed with the regular sign-up process, as you would when switching to any energy retailer. Our VPP staff will be in contact with you to onboard and assist in any troubleshooting. They will also guide you on how to register your inverter so that you can fully participate in the VPP. — Any questions? Email support_vpp@discoverenergy.com.au or call 1300 946 898
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Minimum operational demand: What does this mean for VPP customers?
2022-03-31By Javad Jazaeri, Discover Energy VPP Solution Manager Australia’s electricity grid is rapidly transforming toward a decentralised, two-way power system in which houses with solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and energy storage capabilities supply a significant portion of the electricity demand throughout the day. As an example, in South Australia more than one in three households have rooftop solar PV installed which can provide more than 1 gigawatt of energy to the grid. While distributed solar PV present a zero-emission electricity source there are also new challenges emerging, such as rapidly declining “minimum operational (grid) demand”. What is minimum operational demand? Figure 1: Operational demand for the NEM between 2017 and 2021. This shows a reflection of the downward trend in demand over a whole season. Source: AEMO Operational demand means demand supplied from the national power system (or grid). Minimum operational demand means the lowest level of demand from the grid in any given day, week or year. Minimum operational demand is extremely sensitive to ongoing uptake of solar PV, weather conditions, and local economic activity. Figure 1 shows the downward trend between 2017-2021. What if minimum operational demand gets lower and lower? As minimum operational demand keeps getting lower, new standards and system services are required to keep the power system secure and reliable. The challenges include (for details see AEMO): Voltage managementUnintended disconnection of distributed solarEmergency frequency control schemesSystem restart Networks and AEMO are looking for ways to limit the amount of solar export during the periods of minimum operational demand including Emergency Solar PV Shedding. This option prohibits the customers from exporting to the grid which reduces the customers revenue from feed-in tariff. How can VPPs mitigate this issue? At Discover Energy, we believe there is a better way to to mitigate minimum operational demand. Our VPP customers can mitigate the issue of minimum demand by using our state-of-the-art Smart Feed-In algorithm. The algorithm can defer charging of the battery to periods of time when there is too much PV feed-in electricity in the grid. Based on the forecasts for prices, load and solar productions, the VPP Smart Feed-In Algorithm may bypass battery charging and export the net solar electricity (the excess solar electricity not used by the household loads) to the grid in the morning and charge the battery later in the day instead. Smart feed-in algorithm maximises the value of VPP for our customers while ensuring the security and reliability of the grid. This is likely to be the future of VPP participation in NEM. How does Discover Energy’s smart feed-in algorithm work? The algorithm changes the way your battery charge from the solar panels by charging battery when the value of feed-in export is small and by-pass the battery when the value of feed-in export is higher. We are trialling this approach to ensure there is benefit to the grid, the network and the VPP customer. The example below illustrates the impact of smart Feed-In on a battery*. When the system is operating on SSCM, in Figure 2, it only starts to export to the grid once the battery is fully charged, in this example from 12PM. However, at that time there is too much solar in the grid and therefore the wholesale price of feed-in is significantly lower that other times of the day. Figure 2: Operation of a residential battery system under SSCM mode The Smart Feed-in algorithm recognises the higher value of exporting the net solar to the grid earlier in the morning and postpones charging your battery from 12pm (see Figure 3). In this example, the total amount of solar being exported to the grid is the same, only the time of export is shifted to periods that will generate more benefits to your system. Figure 2: Operation of a battery under a smart feed-in algorithm We believe our smart feed-in algorithm benefit to the grid, the network and the VPP customer by optimising the battery operation. The Smart Feed-In trial will run for 3 months with selected VPP customers in South Australia to evaluate the algorithm and enhance its performance if needed. For more information head to our website or email us on support_vpp@discoverenergy.com.au. *Individual results may vary depending on load and generation profiles, system specifications and other factors. References: AEMO Energy Explained Minimum Operational Demand SA Department of Energy and Mining: Regulatory Changes for Smarter Homes
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Discover Energy VPP partners with Growatt
2022-03-03Discover Energy is delighted to announce the full API integration of its Virtual Power Plant with Growatt. This partnership means that solar battery customers with eligible Growatt hybrid inverters* are now able to join the Discover Energy VPP and participate in Discover Energy’s game-changing energy trading platform and VPP benefits program including premium solar feed-in tariffs, free battery recharging and energy trading income. Developed by the founders of One Stop Warehouse – Australia’s largest wholesale distributor – The Discover Energy VPP was developed to jumpstart the decarbonisation of the electricity infrastructure in Australia, by increasing the share of green, renewable energy in the electricity grid, providing grid support while rewarding solar and battery customers for investing in green hardware and propelling quicker ROI outcomes for customers. SPH 3000 inverter and GBLI6532 Lithium battery The Discover Energy VPP digitally connects households with solar battery connected to its network through cloud technology. Through the DE VPP, these battery networks are able to deploy aggregated stored energy back to the grid. The ability to harness stored energy through batteries allows for a more reliable and dynamically controlled deployment of energy than pure solar feed-ins alone. Discover Energy provides one of the most dynamic energy trading platforms that allow customers to make manual trades, while also activating automatic trades with superior arbitrage returns through its predictive algorithm. Discover Energy currently operates VPP networks in five states/territories across the country including NSW, SA, VIC, QLD (SE) and ACT. Founded in 2010, Growatt is one of the world’s top 10 inverter brands, ranking as the No. 1 residential inverter supplier in the world. By the end of 2021, Growatt has shipped over 3.5 million inverters to more than 100 countries. Since 2010, Growatt has set up its Australian branch, with more than 10 years of trackable local service, around 460,000 sets of high-performance on-grid inverters, off-grid inverters, hybrid inverters, and lithium batteries are installed in Australia. “We are delighted to welcome Growatt, one of the most prominent inverter brands in the world, to our growing VPP family. Adding Growatt to its expanding roster of compatible inverter brands confirms DE’s commitment to giving end-customers the most flexibility and choice when taking the leap to battery and VPPs” says Anson Zhang, Co-CEO and co-founder of Discover Energy. VPP Compatible Growatt inverter models: SPH(3000/4600/5000/6000)TL SPH(3000/4600/5000/6000)TLBL-UP VPP Compatible Growatt battery models: Growatt GBLI 6531 Growatt GBLI 6532 * Click here for the complete hardware eligibility list for the Discover Energy VPP. Want to join the Discover Energy VPP? Call 1300 946 898 or email support_vpp@discoverenergy.com.au Solar Installer? Become a Discover Energy VPP Channel Partner Call 1300 946 898 or email sales_vpp@discoverenergy.com.au
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Safety advice for our customers in flood-affected areas
2022-03-01If you have experienced a power outage as a result of the current flood conditions across QLD and NSW, we encourage you to contact and follow the updates from your network distributor. Here is the list of networks distributors across QLD & NSW. (Note: you can find out your specific energy distributor from the top right of your Discover Energy bill). Network faults and emergencies Ausgrid NSW Sydney 13 13 88 (Emergencies hotline) Endeavour NSW Greater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and the Illawarra, and the South Coast 131 003 Essential Energy NSW Country and regional NSW, southern regional QLD 13 20 80 Energex SE QLD 13 62 62 Important Safety Information (Adapted from advice from Endeavour Energy) When a flood warning is issued: move electric pump motors and portable appliances to an area above the estimated flood height. keep your mobile phone charged and check that you have a torch and portable radio in good working order. Stay tuned to ABC radio for emergency updates know the location of your main switch and meter box switch off electricity to non-essential circuits before they are submerged in rising floodwaters download your energy distributors’s power outage app and follow us on twitter and Facebook for updates. You can who find your energy distributor is via your Discover Energy bill. If you are asked to evacuate: switch off all appliances cut off all electricity to the household by opening the main switch or removing switch fuses at the main switchboard or meter box. Do this even if you have been advised that all power has been cut off to your area make sure you have an evacuation kit with your mobile phone, charger, important phone numbers, medicine, and essential supplies. Treat all power lines as ALIVE and dangerous: keep well clear of ALL POWER LINES and particularly avoid contact with wires which are hanging low or on the ground, dangling in flood water or tangled in trees do not drive across fallen power lines. If power lines have fallen across or have been become entangled in your vehicle, remain inside your vehicle, and call for help. If in danger, open the door and jump well clear keeping your hands off the vehicle and feet together keep a good distance from power wires and poles if boating in floods. If in a wooden or fibreglass boat, do not touch the water or metallic parts of the motor when near wires or poles as they may be alive and dangerous Before power is restored in the event of an outage your energy distributor must inspect the main switchboard and meters of areas that have been flooded. In the interim: do not use electrical appliances which have been in floodwaters do not handle any wet electrical equipment do not replace circuit fuses or restore power to a household which has been flooded until your home has thoroughly dried out and been checked by a licensed electrician Please also refer to our Power Emergency Kit for more safety advice. We are here for you. The safety of our customers is paramount. While enquiries about the physical delivery of electricity, such as power outages, can only be fully addressed by contacting your network distributor, Discover Energy endeavours to assist as much as we can. If you do have an enquiry or require assistance, please call us on 1300 946 898.
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Discover Energy VPP (Victoria)
2022-02-14Discover Energy is delighted to announce that their game-changing VPP (Virtual Power Plant) is now open in Victoria. Victorian Households with solar and battery and an eligible PV inverter, will be able to join the Discover Energy VPP and access member benefits including energy trading and premium solar feed-in-tariffs. There are no lock-in contracts to join the Discover Energy VPP and member benefits last for 12 months. Own a solar and battery system? Click Here to find out more about how you can join the DE VPP movement. Phone 1300 946 898 or email: support_vpp@discoverenergy.com.au Terms and Conditions As part of the Discover Energy VPP Premium Offer (Victoria), Solar Feed-in will be paid at the following rates: First 3.28kwh exported per day: 20c/kwhNext 3.28kwh exported per dayr: 15c/kwhAll remaining kwh exported per day: 6.7c/kwh All usage thresholds will be calculated daily. You can end this Energy Plan at any time.You must have a maximum inverter capacity of 10KW and have a maximum PV generating capacity of 13.3KW. Discover Energy VPP Approved Operated Products only. Eligible inverter brands are GoodWe, Sungrow, Solar Edge, Alpha ESS, Growatt, QCELLS and Huawei. Here’s an example of what VPP customers receive in lieu of a traditional electricity bill: A Smart Energy Report An account summary featuring debits for electricity use and credits for energy sold As you can see here, this account is in credit. This customer can actually cash out their $133.93 credit, should they wish. You also receive a solar system report that captures your consumption, feed-in to the grid and energy trading. Own a solar and battery system? Click Here to find out more about how you can join the DE VPP movement. Phone 1300 946 898 or email: support_vpp@discoverenergy.com.au
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Introducing the Discover Energy VPP Premium Plan!
2022-02-14With the Discover Energy VPP Premium Plan, Eligible battery and solar customers will be able to enjoy a market-leading 30c solar feed-in-tariff for their first 3.28kwh exported per day* in addition to profit sharing from energy trading. Being paid for electricity rather than paying for it is the future energy. With Discover Energy VPP, the future is already here. Own a solar and battery system? Click Here to find out more about how you can join the DE VPP movement. Phone 1300 658 519 or email: support_vpp@discoverenergy.com.au Terms and Conditions As part of the Discover Energy VPP Premium Offer, Solar Feed-in will be paid at the following rates: First 3.28kwh exported per day: 30c/kwhNext 3.28kwh exported per day: 18c/kwhAll remaining kwh exported per day: 9c/kwh All usage thresholds will be calculated daily. You can end this Energy Plan at any time. Discover Energy VPP Approved Operated Products only. Eligible inverter brands are GoodWe, Sungrow, Solar Edge, Alpha ESS, Growatt, QCELLS and Huawei. Here’s an example of what VPP customers receive in lieu of a traditional electricity bill: A Smart Energy Report An account summary featuring debits for electricity use and credits for energy sold As you can see here, this account is in credit. This customer can actually cash out their $133.93 credit, should they wish. You also receive a solar system report that captures your consumption, feed-in to the grid and energy trading. Own a solar and battery system? Click Here to find out more about how you can join the DE VPP movement. Phone 1300 658 519 or email: support_vpp@discoverenergy.com.au
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Terms and Conditions – Win a Home Battery 2021
2021-11-29Win a Home Battery 2021 Terms and Conditions Participation in this Promotion is deemed acceptance of the below Terms. Promotion name: Win a Home Battery 2021 Eligible States/Territories: NSW, SA, VIC, ACT and QLD (Energex network) – any jurisdictions where Discover Energy retails. Promotion Period: Start: 1 December 2021 9:00 AM AEST End: 15 December 2021 11:59 PM AEST. No entries will be accepted outside this time. Promoter: DISCOVER ENERGY PTY LTD (ABN 20 619 204 750) operating as Discover Energy Eligible Entrants: Subject to the terms and conditions below, entry to the promotion is open to an authorised participant (being 18 years or over). Eligible Entries and Method of Entry: There are two methods of entry to this promotion. New Discover Energy Customers To be eligible to join Win a Home Battery 2021, entrants must have successfully signed up to a Discover Energy plan between the promotion period stated and must be switched within two weeks of sign up. Any sign up to a Discover Energy plan during the promotional period is eligible. This includes any electricity, gas, solar or VPP plans offered by Discover Energy.One entry per account only. A new electricity and gas sign up will be considered as two entries. Only new sign ups during the promotional period are eligible. Existing Discover Energy customers must sign up to a new, additional plan to qualify.If the winning account has multiple account holders, the primary account holder is deemed the prize beneficiary.If the entrant signs up or switches to a different retailer during the event period, their entry will be considered invalid. Existing Discover Energy Customers Entrants must be a current Discover Energy account holder during the stated promotional period. Entrants must successfully refer a customer to Discover Energy between 1st December 2021 to 15 December 2021A referral is deemed successful when the referral has signed up to a Discover Energy plan during the stated promotional period.Entrants receive 1 entry only to this promotion, regardless of the number of successful referrals an entrant has made during this periodIf the winning account has multiple account holders, the primary account holder is deemed the prize beneficiary. Competition Process: Two winners will be drawn from a random digital lottery on COB 16 December 2021. The first drawn entry will receive Prize 1 (AlphaESS SMILE-B3-PLUS battery). The next drawn entry will receive Prize 2. Winners will be notified no later than COB 17 December 2021 via phone and email. Customers will be notified via the contact number and email as entered in their sign-up form to Discover Energy. Winners must confirm the claim of prize via email by COB 20th December 2021. Prize details: There are two prizes in this promotion. All prizes are valued in Australian dollars unless expressly stated to the contrary. Prize 1: AlphaESS SMILE-B3-PLUS x 1 ALPHAESS SMILE-B3-PLUS valued at $5000 This prize is pick up only. Delivery is not included in this prize. This prize can be picked up from any One Stop Warehouse location (NSW, SA, QLD, VIC). Upon confirmation of acceptance of this prize, the winner may nominate a preferred solar installer to act as liaison and to arrange delivery. Alternatively, Discover Energy can recommend a solar installer to assist in delivery and installation. The prize does not include:The cost of installationThe cost of additional hardware including but not limited to:Solar panels The Prize will be provided by Discover Energy and Alpha-ESS. Prize 2: AlphaESS Portable Power System x 1 The second drawn entry will win AlphaESS Portable Power System valued at $1300. This prize includes delivery of Prize 2 to a nominated address The Prize will be provided by Discover Energy and AlphaESS. Exchanges: This prize cannot be exchanged for cash. These prizes must be taken “as offered” and cannot be transferred, exchanged, varied or extended, except in Discover Energy’s sole discretion. No contact and Unclaimed prize draw: Discover Energy takes no responsibility where it is unable to contact the Winner/s who have not provided correct or complete contact details as per their account information. If an entrant’s contact details change during the Promotion Period, it is the entrant’s responsibility to notify the Promoter. In the event that either prize is unclaimed by 20 December 2021, Discover Energy will re-draw from the pool of entries to choose a new winner. Promotions Exclusions: Entry is open only to an Eligible Entrant as defined above. However, directors, officers, management, employees, suppliers (including prize suppliers) and contractors (and the immediate families of directors, officers, management, employees, suppliers and contractors) of the Promoter and of its related bodies corporate, and of the agencies and companies associated with this Promotion are not Eligible Entrants and are ineligible to enter. Immediate family means any of the following: spouse, ex-spouse, child or step-child (whether natural or by adoption), parent, step-parent, grandparent, step grandparent, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, brother, sister, step- brother, step-sister or first cousin. Tax implications: Entrants are advised that tax implications may arise from winning the Prize(s) and they should seek independent financial advice prior to acceptance of their prize(s). The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any tax implications that may arise from accepting a Prize. Entrants are responsible for any and all expenses that they incur in entering the Promotion and they will not be reimbursed regardless of whether or not they win the Promotion. Acceptance of Prize It is a condition of accepting any Prize that the winner must comply with all the conditions of use of the Prize and the prize supplier’s requirements. A Prize must be taken as stated and no compensation will be payable if a winner is unable to use the Prize as stated. Discover Energy reserves the right in their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this promotion at any time for any reason. Discover Energy reserves the right to hold all interpretations of this promotion. Enquiries For all enquiries please email marketing@discoverenergy.com.au
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Win a home battery! Sign up to Discover Energy.
2021-11-29Discover Energy and AlphaESS are giving one lucky winner the chance to be part of the green energy revolution. Sign up to a Discover Energy plan by the 15th December 2021 and be in the running to win a free AlphaESS SMILE-B3-PLUS home battery ($5000 RRP). A runner up will also be drawn to win an AlphaESS Portable Power Station worth $1300. Terms and Conditions apply. Sign up today! TheAlpha ESS SMILE-B3-PLUS home battery How to join: New Customers Any customer who signs up to a Discover Energy electricity, gas, solar or VPP plan between the 1st December to the 15th December 2021 will be automatically placed into a draw to win an AlphaESS SMILE-B3-PLUS home battery worth $5000*. Sign up today! Existing Customers A current Discover Energy customer who successfully refers a new customer to Discover Energy between the 1st December to the 15th December 2021 will be automatically placed into this draw. Refer a friend: Contact your energy consultant for more info, send a message to Discover Energy Facebook Page or email customerservice@discoverenergy.com.au. Who is AlphaESS? The AlphaESS Portable Power Station AlphaESS Australia is a subsidiary of Alpha Energy Storage Solution Co., Ltd., was established at the end of 2014, to cover the booming Australia and New Zeland market. We are based in Sydney. Having a team that boasts a decade of experience in distributed power generation and energy storage technologies with Li-Ion batteries, AlphaESS has developed an extremely cost-effective energy storage system. This combination of high performance with low cost means that AlphaESS technology is ideally suited for applications that range in size from residential energy management to utility-scale renewable integration. Visit AlphaESS http://alpha-ess.com/ Who is Discover Energy? Discover Energy is an energy retailer committed to delivering smarter, cheaper and greener energy to Aussie households. With solar DNA from sister company One Stop Warehouse and extensive R&D in Virtual Power Plants (VPP), choosing a Discover Energy plan means backing a retailer at the forefront of renewable energy technology. Sign up to an electricity, gas, solar or VPP plan today. Terms and Conditions apply
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