VPPs could cover 15% of peak California demand by 2035 using home batteries, demand response

By Jonathan Touriño Jacobo
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

Virtual power plants (VPPs) in California using technologies including home batteries and demand response (DR) could provide 7.5GW of capacity in ten years’ time, 15% of peak demand, analysis from consultancy the Brattle Group shows.

The report, California’s Virtual Power Potential: How Five Consumer Technologies Could Improve the State’s Energy Affordability, looks at the market potential for VPP deployment in the western US state which could save consumers US$550 million per year in California.

Commissioned by non-profit organisation Gridlab, it examined five commercially available technologies: smart thermostat-based air-conditioning control, behind-the-meter batteries, residential electric vehicle charging, grid-interactive water heating, and automated demand response systems for large commercial buildings and industrial facilities.

The five together could represent over 7.5GW of capacity, approximately a fivefold increase from the current demand response (DR) in California used in Resource Adequacy, by 2035.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Not only could the deployment of VPPs in California generate over half a billion dollars in savings for consumers, but it could also avoid over US$750 million per year in system costs. This would translate to fewer new power plants needed and fewer necessary upgrades in transmission lines, and reduce risks linked to interconnection delays. This is an ever-growing issue in the US, with nearly 1TW of solar PV capacity in interconnection queues by the end of 2022.

A previous report from the Brattle Group estimated that VPPs could save US utilities up to US$35 billion in the next decade with the deployment of 60GW of VPP.

“In the face of rapidly rising utility bills across the state, this report shows the tremendous potential of VPPs to provide affordable, clean generating capacity as well as critical support for grid reliability,” said Ric O’Connell, executive director of Gridlab.

To see the full original version of this article go to PV Tech.

Read Next

October 8, 2025
US utility Xcel Energy has proposed to build out a 200MW battery storage network across Minnesota, US.
Premium
October 7, 2025
Energy-Storage.news Premium hears from a representative from Honeywell and Alejandro Schnakofsky, CTO of Prevalon, on fire safety in the battery energy storage system (BESS) industry.
October 7, 2025
Utility CPS Energy and IPP Eolian have begun operating Padua 1, a 50MW/100MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) located in Bexar County, Texas, US.
October 6, 2025
Nightpeak Energy has announced commercial operations of its 150MW/300MWh Bocanova Power battery energy storage system (BESS) in Brazoria County, Texas, US.
October 3, 2025
EDF Renewables has brought its 300MWh Milagro project online in New Mexico, while Enlight Renewable Energy has secured US$340 million in tax equity financing for its 940MWh Roadrunner project in Arizona.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter