Join hosts Dr Greg Trainor and Neil Belford as they sit down with Luc van Duinen, VPP Lead at Dame Technologies, for a comprehensive exploration of virtual power plants from a global perspective. From his early days at Engie in the Netherlands working with potato farmers and their "Ferrari" batteries to building VPP platforms across multiple Australian energy companies, Luc shares valuable insights into the evolution of distributed energy management. The conversation covers the stark differences between European and Australian energy markets, the challenges of customer education versus business engagement, and why controllable load represents massive untapped potential.
Join hosts Dr Greg Trainor and Neil Belford as they sit down with Luc van Duinen, VPP Lead at Dame Technologies, for a comprehensive exploration of virtual power plants from a global perspective. From his early days at Engie in the Netherlands working with potato farmers and their "Ferrari" batteries to building VPP platforms across multiple Australian energy companies, Luc shares valuable insights into the evolution of distributed energy management.
The conversation covers the stark differences between European and Australian energy markets, the challenges of customer education versus business engagement, and why controllable load represents massive untapped potential.
About Luc:
As a mechanical engineer specialised in sustainable energy technologies, Luc van Duinen has led the development of multiple Virtual Power Plant (VPP) products for both commercial & industrial (C&I) and residential sectors. Luc has managed the end-to-end development of one of the first VPPs to successfully provide fast ancillary services in Europe, and is passionate about pioneering innovative VPP business models.
(01:00) Early career at Engie Netherlands and startup incubation
(03:00) World Cup halftime and coal power station analogy
(05:00) Differences between European and Australian energy markets
(07:00) Regulatory approaches: Europe vs Australia
(08:00) Working across multiple Australian VPP projects
(10:00) Business vs residential VPP value proposition
(12:00) Platform building and asset type diversification
(14:00) Customer control and the virtual red button
(15:00) VPP impact on market development and renewables
(16:00) Grid frequency control and FCAS pricing trends
(17:00) EV integration and behavioural charging patterns
(18:00) Current role at Dame Technologies and platform development
(19:00) AI applications in price forecasting and customer advice
(21:00) Trading models and upcoming regulatory changes
(22:00) Technology vs change management balance
(25:00) Talent and skills development for VPP operations
(26:00) Success stories: potato farmers and Ferrari batteries
(28:00) Market complexity and compliance challenges
(30:00) Untapped flexibility potential and low-hanging fruit
(31:00) Career advice: taking ownership and pushing boundaries