Virtual Power Plants (VPPs): A Comprehensive Guide
This article was originally published on Unsustainable Magazine’s website on 20th February 2024.
Unlocking the Potential of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) for Green Living and Sustainability
Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) stand at the forefront of revolutionizing our energy landscape, diverging significantly from Traditional Power Plants (TPPs) as they showcase unparalleled versatility in power management.
The connection of VPPs to sustainable living is evident through their contribution to reliability, affordability, decarbonization, electrification, health, equity, and consumer empowerment.
What are Virtual Power Plants (VPPs)
An article entitled “Virtual Power Plant (VPP): What are they and their benefits?” by Solar Choice (29 July 2021) defined a VPP as “an interconnected and distributed network of a wide array of energy sources, predominantly solar and battery systems (This can include other energy sources such as gas generators and electric hot water systems among others)”.
Solar Power World (25 September 2017) also stated that VPPs are “cloud-based data control centers that aggregate production data from various distributed energy resources (DERs)”. Examples of DERs consist of solar PV (photovoltaic) plants, battery storage provisions or residential structures linked to the grid (for example, a smart building).
