Program rates
What VPP programs actually pay
Published payment rates, eligibility rules, and enrollment steps for the major U.S. Virtual Power Plant and battery demand-response programs. Every figure is transcribed from the program administrator and linked to its source.
Last reviewed September 30, 2026 · 8 programs
ConnectedSolutions
National Grid, Eversource, Cape Light Compact, Rhode Island Energy
The best-known battery demand-response program in New England. Utilities pay per kilowatt of average performance across a season of dispatch events.
Summer performance payment (battery)
$275 per kW of average performance, per summer season
Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS)
California Energy Commission
A statewide reliability program that pays for energy discharged or load reduced during grid emergencies, administered by the California Energy Commission.
Incentive for measured performance
$2.00 per kWh of measured load reduction or discharge during events
Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP)
California investor-owned utilities, under CPUC authority
A CPUC-authorized emergency program that pays participants per kilowatt-hour reduced during grid emergencies in PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E territories.
Emergency event incentive
$2.00 per kWh of measured load reduction during called events
Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP)
California Public Utilities Commission and program administrators
California's upfront storage rebate. Not a VPP program itself, but it is the main reason Californian batteries become available for VPP enrollment.
Equity Resiliency category
Up to $1,000 per kWh of installed storage capacity
Aggregate Distributed Energy Resource (ADER) Pilot
ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas
The Texas pathway for aggregating distribution-connected devices into a single resource that can participate in the ERCOT wholesale market.
Customer payment
Set by each aggregator's retail offer, not by a published program rate
PowerPair
Duke Energy
A North Carolina pilot that pays an upfront incentive for new solar-plus-storage systems, with a control option for the battery.
One-time incentive
Up to $9,000 combined for a qualifying solar-plus-storage installation
Bring Your Own Device
Green Mountain Power
One of the longest-running utility VPP programs in the country, paying customers for dispatch rights over batteries they already own.
Enrollment incentive
A per-kilowatt incentive set by GMP, scaled to the capacity you dedicate
Bring Your Own Device Plus (BYOD Plus)
Hawaiian Electric
Hawaii's successor to Battery Bonus, enrolling customer-sited batteries for scheduled and dispatched grid support.
Program compensation
Set by service option and island under the current Hawaiian Electric tariff
Rates change between program years
Treat every figure here as the published rate at our last review, not a guaranteed payment. Actual earnings depend on measured performance, event counts, baselines, and the share your aggregator passes through. Spotted something out of date? Send a correction.