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Dive Brief:
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Technologies like device-level submetering and bidirectional electric vehicle charging create opportunities to deploy virtual power plants at scale in the near future, panelists said Sept. 16 on a webinar hosted by Advanced Energy United.
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Successful VPPs like National Grid’s ConnectedSolutions and the California Energy Commission’s Demand Side Grid Support program demonstrate the benefits of simple, flexible and technology-inclusive program design, panelists from EnergyHub, PowerFlex and Ford Motor said.
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But VPP uptake is held back in many markets by a lack of clear state policy directives, regulatory uncertainty, barriers to full wholesale market participation and continued risk aversion among utilities, they added.
Dive Insight:
Virtual power plants have tremendous potential to shape load and reduce stress on the grid during periods of peak demand, said panelist Carter Wood, who works on electric vehicle infrastructure policy at Ford.