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RMI today announced the expansion of the Virtual Power Plant Partnership. This non-profit organization led by the Rocky Mountain Institute is looking to accelerate global energy transformation. A virtual power plant, aka VPP* or the comingVP3** combines and coordinates distributed energy resources “to benefit all those who rely on the electric grid.”
It involves hundreds or thousands of households and businesses that offer the concealed potential of their electric vehicles (EVs), smart thermostats, appliances, batteries, and solar arrays to support the grid. It wants to transform policy to support scaling VPPs in ways that help advance affordable, reliable electric sector decarbonization by overcoming barriers to VPP market growth.
VP3 follows the institutional spinoffs in the electric sector previously developed by RMI, including the Clean Energy Buyers Association and the Energy Web Foundation. Initial funding was made possible by General Motors and Google Nest. Today, VP3 includes Ford, General Motors, Google Nest, OhmConnect, Olivine, SPAN, SunPower, Sunrun, SwitchDin, and Virtual Peaker. Notably absent are Stellantis and Toyota.
“Virtual power plants are poised for explosive growth, and RMI is committed to being at the forefront of their success by launching VP3,” said RMI CEO Jon Creyts. “Our analysis shows that VPPs can reduce peak power demand and improve grid resilience in a world of increasingly extreme climate events. A growing VPP market also means revenue opportunities for hardware, software, and energy-service companies in the buildings and automotive industries. For large energy users, VPPs can significantly reduce energy spend while providing new revenue streams.”
*VPP
In a VPP decentralized distributed energy resources (DERs) are aggregated into a portfolio. Customers themselves or their authorized energy management companies – with customer permission and the help of software – can adjust charging, discharging, output, and demand from DERs in response to signals from markets and grid operators. In this way, VPPs can play an important role in efficiently matching energy supply and demand, it’s claimed. The components of a VPP can include electric vehicles (EVs) and chargers, heat pumps, home appliances, HVAC equipment, batteries, plug loads, and industrial mechanical equipment. Single-family homes, multi-family homes, offices, stores, factories, cars, trucks, and buses can all participate in a VPP.
**VP3’s Stated Goals
“With the guidance and support of its members, VP3 is working toward a future where businesses, households, and communities are empowered through VPPs which can help to support cost-effective energy, emissions reductions, and a more resilient electricity grid. To achieve this, VP3 will work to:
- Catalog, research, and communicate VPP benefits;
- Develop industry-wide best practices, standards, and roadmaps;
- Inform and shape policy development.
Virtual Power Plant Partnership – Ford, GM, SunPower, Others
Click for more information.
RMI today announced the expansion of the Virtual Power Plant Partnership. This non-profit organization led by the Rocky Mountain Institute is looking to accelerate global energy transformation. A virtual power plant, aka VPP* or the comingVP3** combines and coordinates distributed energy resources “to benefit all those who rely on the electric grid.”
It involves hundreds or thousands of households and businesses that offer the concealed potential of their electric vehicles (EVs), smart thermostats, appliances, batteries, and solar arrays to support the grid. It wants to transform policy to support scaling VPPs in ways that help advance affordable, reliable electric sector decarbonization by overcoming barriers to VPP market growth.
VP3 follows the institutional spinoffs in the electric sector previously developed by RMI, including the Clean Energy Buyers Association and the Energy Web Foundation. Initial funding was made possible by General Motors and Google Nest. Today, VP3 includes Ford, General Motors, Google Nest, OhmConnect, Olivine, SPAN, SunPower, Sunrun, SwitchDin, and Virtual Peaker. Notably absent are Stellantis and Toyota.
“Virtual power plants are poised for explosive growth, and RMI is committed to being at the forefront of their success by launching VP3,” said RMI CEO Jon Creyts. “Our analysis shows that VPPs can reduce peak power demand and improve grid resilience in a world of increasingly extreme climate events. A growing VPP market also means revenue opportunities for hardware, software, and energy-service companies in the buildings and automotive industries. For large energy users, VPPs can significantly reduce energy spend while providing new revenue streams.”
*VPP
In a VPP decentralized distributed energy resources (DERs) are aggregated into a portfolio. Customers themselves or their authorized energy management companies – with customer permission and the help of software – can adjust charging, discharging, output, and demand from DERs in response to signals from markets and grid operators. In this way, VPPs can play an important role in efficiently matching energy supply and demand, it’s claimed. The components of a VPP can include electric vehicles (EVs) and chargers, heat pumps, home appliances, HVAC equipment, batteries, plug loads, and industrial mechanical equipment. Single-family homes, multi-family homes, offices, stores, factories, cars, trucks, and buses can all participate in a VPP.
**VP3’s Stated Goals
“With the guidance and support of its members, VP3 is working toward a future where businesses, households, and communities are empowered through VPPs which can help to support cost-effective energy, emissions reductions, and a more resilient electricity grid. To achieve this, VP3 will work to: