Tag Archive for: virtualpowerplant

Tesla’s virtual power plant (VPP) in California delivered 100 MW of power to help the grid not use gas peaker plants yesterday.

Tesla’s California virtual power plant delivers 100 MW to help the grid

Tesla’s virtual power plant (VPP) in California delivered 100 MW of power to help the grid not use gas peaker plants yesterday.

It’s peaker plant season in California. Heat waves are hitting the region, people are cranking up their ACs, and it is putting quite a load on the electrical grid.

Tesla has been using virtual power plants to aggregate its distributed energy systems, rooftop solar and Powerwall, to provide grid services and get more value for their customers.

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Source: electrek

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The VPP program would allow fleets of customer-sited batteries to be remotely dispatched when demand for electricity is at its highest, the grid most stressed, and energy prices through the roof.

California Energy Commission approves new statewide VPP program

The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved on July 26 a new program that would tap into thousands of distributed solar-charged and standalone batteries located at homes and businesses throughout the state to meet the state’s growing electricity needs, particularly on hot summer evenings.

The concept is sometimes called a “virtual power plant,” and it is now featured in an innovative new part of the CEC’s Demand Side Grid Support program. The program would allow fleets of customer-sited batteries to be remotely dispatched when demand for electricity is at its highest, the grid most stressed, and energy prices through the roof. Energy prices rise when supplies are tight, like in a heat wave when demand for electricity spikes to keep air conditioners running. Bringing fleets of batteries online during these high-price events will help respond to grid emergencies, avoid power outages, help lower prices for all ratepayers and ultimately avoid grid emergencies in the first place.

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Source: Solar Power World

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The California utility PG&E is trying out two different models with Tesla and Sunrun to help ease summer grid stress.

PG&E is testing different flavors of virtual power plant

As a demand-response manager for California utility Pacific Gas & Electric, John Hernandez knows all about how hundreds or thousands of battery-equipped homes can be remotely controlled to serve the grid’s needs, much as central power plants do. These aggregations of controllable home solar-plus-battery systems are called virtual power plants, or VPPs for short.

The question is, what kind of power plants should these VPPs be modeled after? This summer, Hernandez’s team at PG&E will be testing two types of VPPs that use similar tools but different methods to help keep the grid stable during hot summer evenings.

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Source: Canary Media

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Sunrun plans to create a 30-MW virtual power plant by enrolling up to 7,500 rooftop solar and battery systems in PG&E’s footprint.

Sunrun, PG&E to roll out 30-MW virtual power plant to support California grid in the summer

Solar and battery storage provider Sunrun announced plans on Monday to create a 30-MW virtual power plant by enrolling up to 7,500 existing and new rooftop solar and battery systems in Pacific Gas & Electric’s footprint.

Storage systems that enroll in the program will be asked to discharge power to the grid every day between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. from August through October, a period when electricity demand in California tends to be the highest. Customers will be compensated with a $750 upfront payment and be given a free smart thermostat.

While virtual power plants are not a new technology, this one is different in that it is laser-focused on the peak of the summer, said Scott Peattie, director of business development with Sunrun. “[I]t will be reliably dispatching every day, so we’re not going to be waiting for an emergency alert from [the California Independent System Operator,]” Peattie said.

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Source: Utility Dive

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