Tindo Solar extends Tesla VPP partnership into Victoria

Australian solar panel manufacturer, and one of the largest rooftop PV installers in its home state of South Australia – Tindo Solar – is extending its reach into the neighbouring market of Victoria as a key partner with Tesla in the expansion of Australia’s largest virtual power plant.

US battery and EV giant Tesla announced last month that it was offering its time-of-use, Powerwall 2 battery-based retail electricity deal to Victorian customers, as an extension of the VPP it has built to an impressive size in South Australia.

The Tesla Energy Plan offers Powerwall 2 battery customers access to time-of-use tariffs, which aim to reduce customer electricity bills while also reducing demand on the grid during peak periods.

Tindo said on Friday that it would continue in its “rarefied” role as a Premium Certified Installer of Powerwall home batteries and solar panel supplier as Tesla expanded its “crucial initiative” to integrate rooftop PV onto the grid.

“The Tesla Energy Plan allows high penetration of solar PV-battery into the utility grids, in a way that the NEM operators can use surplus power and storage capacity for stability actions,” said Tindo CEO Shayne Jaenisch.

“When you have thousands of solar PV-battery systems connected to the grid independently, it can cause volatility which is hard to manage – Tesla’s VPP resolves a lot of those issues and Tindo Solar is pleased to be partnering the initiative with our panels.”

Tindo, which has long held the mantle as Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer – although Sydney-based MSquare Energy has now also joined the scene – has produced more than 284,000 locally assembled solar panels, with an equivalent output of around 82.5 megawatts.

The Adelaide-based company also claims to be the largest installer of household solar and battery systems in South Australia – and said this week it had installed more than 800 Powerwalls since 2017.

“The solar market is evolving from the novelty of solar energy and turning towards battery storage and high-quality technology. The customers are interested in energy independence,” sais Jaenisch.

“Australians are practical about energy,” he added. “They want to do their bit for the climate, but they want reliability and performance. Tindo Solar panels are custom-made for our harsh climate and the Powerwall is the best battery for our unique conditions.”