Clipsal Solar reveals exciting new hire to head up Virtual Power Plants

Clipsal Solar, the start-up backed by SE Ventures, Schneider Electric’s corporate venture arm, has announced a major hire with the appointment of Jacqui Mills (CPEng) as Head of Virtual Power Plants (VPP) from 1 August 2021.

Ms Mills joins Clipsal Solar following an extensive career as a chartered engineer in the power system sector, working most recently as Virtual Power Plant Lead at the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). Her expertise in the field is further accentuated with three knowledge sharing reports under her belt, presenting empirical evidence that Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) can respond to power systems and market events effectively.

In the newly formed role, Ms Mills will oversee the growth of the Virtual Power Plant division, using expertise and technology developed globally through the Schneider Electric Ecosystem, to reliably aggregate and dispatch the Clipsal Solar fleet of Distributed Energy Resources.

Ms Mills said, “I’m excited to join the team at Clipsal Solar as Head of Virtual Power Plants (VPP). To date the team has been successful at building a strong foundation of loyal customers with solar and battery systems.”

“I’ll be utilising my intimate knowledge of the AEMO VPP demonstration to embark on Clipsal Solar’s journey towards VPP’s in Australia and derive learnings for Schneider Electric to implement globally at scale. I’m looking forward to meeting more of the team and the challenge!”

Speaking on her appointment, Chief Executive Officer at Clipsal Solar Tracy Richardson commented, “We consider Ms Mills’ appointment as to be a tremendous hire for not only Clipsal Solar, but Schneider Electric.”

Ms Richardson continues, “As a chartered engineer, she brings a wealth of market knowledge and expertise of how VPP’s are built, orchestrated and monetised. Through her previous VPP work at the Australian Energy Market Operator, we’re excited to carry this momentum and passion forward at Clipsal Solar.”

Clipsal Solar is a ‘New Energy’ offspring of the renowned Australian electrical technology company Clipsal.

With Clipsal Solar activity ramping up in Australia, Ms Mills appointment rounds up an impressive quarter for Clipsal Solar who are up 423% year on year.