Flexibility for now and into the future

When it comes to installing rooftop solar in your home, both the process and outcomes are clear and justifiable. For businesses however, it is more complex.

Larger energy requirements, connection limitations, upfront capital costs and uncertainty about the future needs can make investment decisions seem harder.

But as with any challenge when working to overcome these constraints, opportunities can arise.

As Victoria's electricity system evolves, businesses are increasingly able to generate value not only through the energy they use, but through the role their assets can play in supporting the broader grid.

Energy investments such as solar, batteries and demand management have traditionally been designed to reduce costs, lower emissions and improve operational resilience.

Generating value not only from how these assets support a business, but how they support the broader energy system.

SEC has proven its ability to work with Victorian businesses to deliver behind the meter solar and battery projects.

The installation of rooftop solar at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) is a prime example of the practicality of solar energy in large-scale facilities.

MSAC faced challenges not dissimilar from other businesses around Melbourne. Through working with SEC, those traditional barriers when it came to installation and ownership were no longer a deterrent.

By selling the electricity generated on-site to MSAC at a lower cost than electricity purchased from the grid, the centre, used by thousands of Victorians, benefits from solar power. This eliminates an upfront cost of installing the system.

Partnerships like this demonstrate the immediate benefits of reducing reliance on the grid.

And it presents a larger opportunity. The next phase of Victoria's energy transition will need to unlock additional value from these assets through greater coordination across the electricity system.

There are valuable assets across Victoria, but it is now a case of finding more efficient ways to diversify the benefits of these existing assets. Finding smarter ways to connect, coordinate and optimise existing energy resources is crucial.

While there is some value in isolated use, significant value becomes apparent when adopting a retailer of the future mindset – one that delivers lower energy costs and greater resilience while building long-term partnerships with customers.

Individual customers, networks and energy providers naturally optimise for their own objectives. But when generation, storage, demand and network needs are considered together, greater value can be realised across the system.

Looking to the future, coordinating existing and new generation, storage and network assets, we can help unlock additional network capacity and electricity during constrained periods to defer or reduce the need for costly network augmentation.

It's about helping customers participate in a broader energy ecosystem.

As a retailer of the future, we look at how customer flexibility, distributed energy resources and renewable generation can work together to create value for our customers while supporting a more efficient and resilient energy system.

Affordability and reliability isn't just an appealing prospect for businesses investing in renewables for now. Greater choice and understanding can lead to more long-term confidence.

For many businesses the question has often been centred on the "how can we do this?" but as we continue to see businesses evolve in this space, the question should quickly shift to "how can we do more?".