An Introduction to Virtual Power Plants

Utilities across the country are beginning to tap into hundreds, sometimes thousands, of devices in homes and businesses to create virtual power plants (VPP). These VPPs can deliver many of the same services as traditional power plants but they’re power by distributed resources, including water heaters, smart thermostats, and, increasingly, solar and battery storage.

This webinar covered the basics of what a virtual power plant is and how it can create value for both utilities and customers, with examples from real-world programs. Presenters included the software company Virtual Peaker and Portland General Electric Company (PGE). PGE recently launched a new VPP pilot program that will incentivize the installation of more than 500 residential battery storage systems, representing up to four megawatts of energy.

Presenters:

• Audrey Burkhardt, Senior Product Development Specialist, Portland General Electric
• Shadea Mitchell, Head of Client Services, Virtual Peaker

Moderator:

• Seth Mullendore, Vice President and Project Director, Clean Energy Group

This webinar was presented by Clean Energy Group on behalf of the Resilient Power Project. Learn more at www.resilient-power.org.