Virtual power plant news

Sunrun and SPAN plan home solar, storage and distributed AI compute deployments (source, opens in a new tab)

The partners plan to combine Sunrun solar and batteries with SPAN XFRA compute nodes in new residential communities, beginning in Texas and selected markets. Sunrun also plans to enroll the batteries in grid services.

Buyer takeaway: This is an announced deployment model, not a reported operating fleet. OEMs should confirm equipment interfaces, utility approval, and dispatch priorities before treating compute and VPP capacity as interchangeable.

CESA publishes a VPP design guide for state agencies and utilities (source, opens in a new tab)

Adam Warren's report examines VPP participants, dispatch, technology layers and communication standards. It highlights customer protections, cybersecurity, performance measurement, data governance and clear compensation rules as requirements for scaling programs.

Buyer takeaway: Use these topics in procurement diligence: ask who owns device integration, validates performance, protects customer data, and resolves settlement disputes. The report is guidance, not product certification.

Sunrun and Tesla report a combined 580 MW California battery dispatch (source, opens in a new tab)

The companies report more than 580 MW of peak output on September 9 from over 140,000 batteries through DSGS and ELRP. The release attributes 517 MW to Powerwalls and 63 MW to other batteries; many participating Powerwalls are owned and operated by Sunrun.

Buyer takeaway: This is a combined event result, not 580 MW for each provider or a firm procurement offer. The overlapping fleets must not be added together as separate capacity.

Michigan approves DTE Electric's two-year residential battery VPP pilot (source, opens in a new tab)

The MPSC approved a pilot at Ann Arbor's Veridian community for up to 100 customers. It will study enrollment, charging, dispatch participation and solar-plus-storage optimization; the commission also directed a workgroup on second-year improvements.

Buyer takeaway: Pilot approval is not a statewide enrollment offer or a demonstrated capacity result. Confirm the site scope and approved program terms with DTE.

PG&E, Google and Rewiring America launch SHARE, a Google-funded Bay Area VPP (source, opens in a new tab)

PG&E announced a Google-funded proof of concept combining existing home devices with new battery-enabled heat pumps. It aims to enroll over 20,000 existing devices, with outreach beginning in fall 2026 and the program expected to run through 2027.

Buyer takeaway: Treat enrollment figures as targets. SHARE is a separate initiative from PG&E's ELRP, and the announcement is not proof of delivered MW or open statewide eligibility.

New Jersey proposes paying home batteries for performance, not installation (source, opens in a new tab)

NJBPU's straw proposal outlines roughly 150 MW of residential storage with annual, performance-based payments over ten years. Utilities would handle enrollment and dispatch. This announcement describes a proposal, not an open or fully approved program.

Buyer takeaway: Watch the final Board decision and utility implementation terms before quoting incentive revenue or promising customer enrollment.

Latitude Media reports BlocPower wind-down and asset liquidation (source, opens in a new tab)

Latitude Media reports that BlocPower told investors it would wind down and liquidate assets after exploring a turnaround. The report leaves the treatment of remaining customer leases uncertain; it does not establish the status of unrelated VPP operators.

Sunrun to supply Voltus with residential capacity for AI hyperscaler agreements (source, opens in a new tab)

A multi-year agreement lets Voltus tap Sunrun's residential storage fleet to serve Bring Your Own Capacity programs for data-center customers in PJM and MISO.

California advances SB 905 and SB 913 virtual power plant bills (source, opens in a new tab)

Assembly Appropriations moved both VPP bills to floor votes; SB 905 targets circuit-level flexibility data and SB 913 addresses VPP program design.

Tesla launches zero-down Powerwall lease bundled with Texas retail electricity plan (source, opens in a new tab)

Two Powerwalls at $35/month paired with Tesla Electric widen the enrollment funnel for Tesla's Texas virtual power plant.

Minnesota PUC mandates flexible interconnection and a VPP pilot for Xcel Energy (source, opens in a new tab)

Approval of Xcel's Integrated Distribution Plan attaches a dedicated VPP pilot and a flexible-interconnection policy.

Emerald AI deploys load-flexibility orchestration at Nvidia's 96 MW Aurora data center (source, opens in a new tab)

Software that curtails and shifts AI compute in real time is being used to make a Manassas, Virginia data center behave as a dispatchable grid asset.

WeaveGrid and Tucson Electric Power launch Smart Charge managed charging program (source, opens in a new tab)

The program optimizes residential EV charging against distribution constraints in southern Arizona.

Base Power raises $1B Series D and launches a 39.2 kWh home battery (source, opens in a new tab)

The Austin company began in-house manufacturing at Base Factory 1 and is expanding beyond Texas into Illinois.

Massachusetts expands ConnectedSolutions battery VPP to vehicle-to-grid (source, opens in a new tab)

The $5.4M residential battery program now adds vehicle-to-grid capacity for EV drivers.

Hyundai Motor Group introduces AllDayEnergy with a UK-first smart-charging rollout (source, opens in a new tab)

AllDayEnergy brings V1G, V2G and V2H services under one identity. Hyundai describes initial UK smart charging through the Kia app, with U.S. expansion planned. This does not establish U.S. V2G program availability.

Green Mountain Power's battery network cut 90 MW during a Vermont heat wave (source, opens in a new tab)

The utility reports roughly $6M in savings from a single July peak hour, calling the Stored Energy Network Vermont's largest energy source.

Eaton and FranklinWH partner on smart breaker load control (source, opens in a new tab)

AbleEdge smart breakers integrate with FranklinWH home batteries for whole-home load management inside VPP programs.

WeaveGrid and Ameren Illinois launch the FlexCharge managed charging program (source, opens in a new tab)

Ameren Illinois customers can shift EV charging on WeaveGrid's distribution-aware DISCO platform.

ComEd wins approval for Illinois' first utility virtual power plant program (source, opens in a new tab)

The Scheduled Dispatch VPP pays battery-storage customers under the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, with a 2027 launch target.

Sunrun, Tesla and Renew Home announce a 16.8 GW distributed capacity alliance (source, opens in a new tab)

The three companies are marketing combined residential battery, thermostat, and V2G capacity to utilities and hyperscalers.

Verse raises $54M and launches Dispatch Intelligence with Calibrant Energy (source, opens in a new tab)

The Nvidia-backed startup says onsite resource orchestration can bring data centers online years faster.

Voltus and Google sign a Bring Your Own Capacity deal in PJM (source, opens in a new tab)

Google funds Voltus to aggregate up to 100 MW per year of batteries and thermostats to offset data-center load.

Generac and CPower open PJM DER markets to commercial customers (source, opens in a new tab)

Generac's commercial and industrial customers can enroll DERs into PJM markets through CPower's platform.

NVIDIA and Emerald AI announce flexible AI factory collaboration (source, opens in a new tab)

Announced at CERAWeek, the effort treats AI data centers as dispatchable flexible loads to speed interconnection.

SOLRITE and sonnen launch a battery-only VPP in deregulated Texas (source, opens in a new tab)

Texans can join without rooftop solar under an all-in retail rate near 12 cents per kWh.

Voltus and Octopus Energy US partner on demand flexibility (source, opens in a new tab)

The pair will aggregate residential flexibility across PJM, MISO, NYISO and CAISO for utility and data-center buyers.

NRG completes the LS Power acquisition, adding CPower's C&I VPP platform (source, opens in a new tab)

The 13 GW generation deal also transferred CPower, one of the largest commercial and industrial demand-response aggregators.