Unlocking Grid Flexibility with Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and Managed Charging: Insights from a Discussion with EnergyHub’s Seth Frader-Thompson

Garrett holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Santa Clara University and a MS and Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Engineering from Columbia University.

As intermittent renewable energy sources like solar and wind become an increasingly larger share of the generation mix, the traditional model of dispatching centralized power plants to meet energy demand is shifting and expanding to include more sophisticated integration of DERs and demand-side management.

 

Seth Frader-Thompson, President of SEPA member company EnergyHub, and I had the opportunity to record a live podcast together at RE+. We discussed the future of the energy grid, focusing on the potential of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and managed electric vehicle charging strategies. Our conversation shed light on how utilities are leveraging distributed energy resources (DERs) like EVs, smart thermostats, and batteries to optimize the grid for flexibility, efficiency, and reliability.

 

As renewable energy sources take on a more significant share of electricity generation, the grid becomes more complex to manage. Unlike traditional thermal plants that can be dispatched on demand, solar and wind energy are intermittent, meaning that they generate electricity only when the sun shines or the wind blows. This can create a mismatch between when energy is generated and when it’s needed.

 

“Now you kind of have to schedule and flex demand to match when the power is available from wind or the sun,” explained Frader-Thompson. This situation introduces new operational challenges and creates opportunities for innovation in grid management.

 

One primary opportunity comes from the increased deployment of DERs, which are small-scale, decentralized power-generating or power-consuming devices such as solar panels, batteries, smart thermostats, electric heat pumps, and EVs. As these resources become more common, they present a new form of grid flexibility, enabling utilities to balance supply and demand more effectively.

 

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