Voltus’s Virtual Power Plant Positioned to Provide Nearly 5 GW of Critical Electric Grid Support this Summer

June 20, 2023 at 09:00 AM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO and BOSTON, June 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voltus, Inc. ("Voltus"), the leading distributed energy resource (DER) technology platform and virtual power plant (VPP) operator, today announced that its portfolio of DER capacity has grown to almost 5 GW across all nine wholesale power markets in the U.S. and Canada and sixty VPP programs. Voltus’s VPP has been dispatched by grid operators over one thousand times year-to-date, providing critical grid-balancing and capacity support. This same portfolio stands ready to provide potential emergency support to the electric grid this summer, amidst continued reliability concerns.

In May, the North American Reliability Corporation predicted elevated risk of resource shortages under extreme weather conditions in the U.S. West, Midwest, Texas, Southeast, New England and Ontario, Canada this summer. This report follows its 2022 Summer Reliability Assessment which accurately predicted shortfalls. Voltus dispatched its virtual power plant during California's September 2022 record-breaking heatwave to avert blackouts.

"The regions mentioned in the NERC report as having elevated risk of shortfalls this summer, like MISO, SPP, and ERCOT, are highly dependent on wind production to meet peak demand,” explains Dana Guernsey, Chief Product Officer and Co-founder at Voltus. “Voltus’s VPP provides a critical backstop to this highly variable form of power production. This support remains important day-to-day as grid operators navigate this variability, but becomes absolutely critical as potential summer heat puts increased stress on the grid."

Voltus aggregates DERs such as demand response, energy efficiency, electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), smart thermostats, building management systems, energy storage, and distributed generation into a virtual power plant network that delivers the same grid services and economic benefits as a traditional power plant. Unlike a traditional power plant, Voltus’s VPPs can scale at tremendous speed through the aggregation of these demand side resources across commercial, industrial, residential, and transportation.

Earlier this year, Wood Mackenzie named Voltus a leader for its breadth of VPP services and integrations with wholesale power markets in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to ranking highest in number of VPPs. On June 6, 2023, Voltus held a webinar, “Scared or Prepared: Summer 2023 Electricity Reliability Challenges,” during which, industry leaders discussed how energy users could mitigate risk to their business while creating new revenue streams. By joining Voltus’s VPP, DER owners get advanced warning of potential power shortages and create new revenue streams for their business. Contact info@voltus.co to get started.

About Voltus

Voltus is the leading DER technology platform and virtual power plant operator connecting nearly 5 GW of distributed energy resources to electricity markets, delivering less expensive, more reliable, and more sustainable electricity. Our commercial and industrial customers and DER partners generate cash by allowing Voltus to maximize the value of their flexible load, distributed generation, energy storage, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle resources in these markets. To learn more, visit www.voltus.co.

Media Contact
Mona Khaldi
press@voltus.co