Why utilities should go big on VPPs

Facing acute load growth challenges, aging infrastructure, extreme weather, and a surge of electrification, utilities urgently need to unlock new solutions to deliver grid flexibility.

According to a recent report from RMI, virtual power plants could reduce peak demand in the U.S. by 60 GW by 2030 — and by 200 GW by 2050.

Still, across the industry, misconceptions about VPPs persist.

Cross-DER Edge DERMS provider EnergyHub, which helps utilities grow and manage grid-aware VPPs at scale, is proving that VPPs can meet load growth and be as reliable as traditional power plants.

In this Frontier Forum, we’ll explore common misconceptions about VPPs, including that the resource can only be used for bulk grid demand response. The conversation will help frame the wide range of use cases for VPPs, and the value they can provide to utilities and customers during this critical moment of change.

Kerri Carnes of Arizona Public Service will highlight the utility’s use of 90,000 DERs for managing the grid in extreme heat. Carnes and EnergyHub co-founder Seth Frader-Thompson will also look at other types of VPPs in operation around the country, and examine what the VPP landscape could look like in five to ten years.

We’ll answer questions like: how reliable are VPPs? What are the most successful deployments? And what will it take for more teams across the utility to trust and integrate them into their planning and operations?

Can't join us live? Register for the event to receive a recording.