Origin Energy has claimed bragging rights over rival AGL for the largest virtual power plant in Australia – and perhaps the world – as it outlines the strategies it is deploying to manage the rising shares of intermittent wind and solar energy in the grid.

Virtual power plants are aggregations of customer-owned energy resources such as solar panels, home batteries, electric vehicle chargers, air conditioners and other sources of heavy demand that can be commandeered by a retailer with the customer’s consent during grid squeezes to avert blackouts and moderate prices.