Virtual power plants

Federal ruling hands virtual power plants a win in PJM

Firms that enlist homes to reduce energy demand — and costs — have long complained that utility data rules prevent them from helping in PJM. FERC agrees.

By Jeff St. John . 13 August 2026

Electrical wires are seen going from a pole to people's homes, shot from below, with a blue sky — A ruling from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will make it easier for households in 13 states to tap into demand-response and virtual-power-plant programs to lower their energy costs while providing grid relief. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Sponsored

The Missing Link to VPP Success? Customer Knowledge.

A new Franklin Energy report reveals how widespread customer confusion about home energy technologies could limit virtual power plant adoption — and what utilities can do to close the knowledge gap.

6 August 2026
Data centers

PJM’s old way of getting power built isn’t working. Has it found a fix?

Getting data centers to pay for new generation and batteries could be the best hope for the nation’s biggest power market to finally get a handle on costs.

By Jeff St. John . 17 July 2026
Data centers

New Jersey law will let data centers pay for home energy upgrades

In a first, the state could speed up data centers’ grid connection if they bankroll energy-saving residential tech like heat pumps and batteries.

By Alison F. Takemura . 16 July 2026
Batteries

Base Power brings cheap batteries to residents in power-starved PJM

The unicorn startup launched its first move outside its home state of Texas, pitching low-cost energy and backup power in northern Illinois.

By Julian Spector . 24 June 2026
Virtual power plants

Tesla, Sunrun, Renew Home team up on massive 16GW virtual power plant

The clean energy giants are uniting their home batteries and smart thermostats to help tech giants power booming, AI-driven data centers without crushing the grid.

By Jeff St. John . 24 June 2026
Batteries

Tesla offers discounted home batteries in New England VPP push

Households in Massachusetts and Connecticut can get cheap Powerwall leases — so long as they let Tesla monetize the batteries in virtual power plant programs.

By Jeff St. John . 18 June 2026
Virtual power plants

A new bill would help VPPs replace peaker plants in California

California has a lot of home batteries, EVs, and smart thermostats that could do the work of dirty peaker plants. SB 913 would try to make that possible.

By Jeff St. John . 29 April 2026
Virtual power plants

As utility costs rise, can ‘background’ smart thermostats offer relief?

Millions of smart thermostats auto-adjust temperatures to cut power bills or prioritize clean energy. Some utilities are mulling how that tech can help the grid, too.

By Jeff St. John . 20 April 2026
Virtual power plants

Xcel Minnesota is building a first-of-its-kind virtual power plant

Minnesota regulators just approved Xcel’s plan for a utility-owned VPP. Supporters say it could serve as a model for other utilities — but critics aren’t so sure.

By Jeff St. John . 8 April 2026
Virtual power plants

Will California fund or kill its thriving virtual power plant program?

Gov. Newsom’s administration has proposed ending a program that’s brought a gigawatt of grid relief online. Lawmakers want to know what will replace it.

By Jeff St. John . 31 March 2026