Virtual power plants

Distributed energy resources

Houston’s post-Beryl outages highlight benefits of distributed energy

More solar, batteries, and gas microgrids could have helped Houston during last week’s outages. But state leaders and utilities haven’t made them a priority.

By Jeff St. John . 18 July 2024

Power poles knocked down by Hurricane Beryl in Harris County, Texas. — Power poles knocked down by Hurricane Beryl in Harris County, Texas (Sunrun)

Virtual power plants

California budget cuts could decimate key virtual-power-plant programs

Governor Gavin Newsom plans to slash funding for batteries and utility customers to help with grid emergencies — but money for fossil fuel generators keeps flowing.

By Jeff St. John . 5 June 2024
Virtual power plants

Four ways virtual power plants can help the US grid keep up with demand

States are starting to experiment with VPPs to boost clean energy capacity on America's overtaxed grid. Experts broke it down at SXSW in Austin.

By Maria Gallucci . 13 March 2024

Virtual power plants

Houston’s post-Beryl outages highlight benefits of distributed energy

California budget cuts could decimate key virtual-power-plant programs

Four ways virtual power plants can help the US grid keep up with demand