Extreme weather events, cybersecurity threats and volatility in energy markets at all levels puts intense strain on America’s power grid.Virtual power plants (VPP) are an important tool to secure the resiliency of this critical system.What is a VPP, you ask? As RMI puts it, VPPs are comprised of hundreds or thousands of households and businesses that offer the untapped potential of distributed energy resources (DER) like thermostats, electric vehicles (EV), appliances, batteries and of course, solar panels, to support the grid.VPPs are emerging on the electric grid because they provide a combination of energy security, reliability, resiliency and efficient use of energy resources. Communities across the country can benefit from VPPs in extreme cold or heat and other climate-related episodes that strain our power grid.This innovative solution is positioned for massive growth thanks to the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which created or enlarged tax incentives for EVs, electric water heaters, solar panels and other devices.VPPs serve as aggregators of distributed assets like solar and storage to allow these resources to punch above their weight. This can take serious strain off the grid. RMI estimates that by 2030, VPPs could reduce America’s peak demand by 60 gigawatts (GW), the average consumption of 50 million households, and by more than 200 GW by 2050.While it seems like a novel idea, solar and storage companies have been making investments in this model for years.We’re also seeing promising opportunities for DERs providing solutions in wholesale markets — like ISO-New England, which paved the way for DERs to bid into their capacity market, and Texas’ ERCOT, which created an aggregated DER pilot to use these resources for important grid services.A report by Vote Solar and Solar United Neighbors illustrated the worsening crisis of grid outages across the United States and outlined how to leverage local electricity to avoid yet another series of power outages that could impact millions of people. One of the best features of VPPs is that they come in so many different shapes and sizes. One example is a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) program, where households can use existing batteries on their homes or sign up for a program after buying a new battery system

Sol Systems announced the addition of David Vickerman as Chief Financial Officer.

Vote Solar, a leading solar nonprofit in the U.S., today announced the appointment of Sachu Constantine as its new Executive Director.