Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) has announced the launch of the Seasonal Aggregation of Versatile Energy (SAVE) program, a first-of-its-kind Virtual Power Plant (VPP) designed to reduce local grid constraints by harnessing residential distributed energy resources. The demonstration, part of the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) initiative, will involve up to 1,500 customers with battery energy storage systems and 400 customers with smart electric panels, providing localized support during peak demand periods from June through October 2025.

The VPP will be activated when local electric substations and feeder lines near capacity, supplying battery power and load flexibility to selected neighborhoods. PG&E has partnered with aggregators like Sunrun and SPAN to manage customer participation. Through advanced software from Tesla and SPAN, participating homes will shift energy usage to meet grid needs.

The program, with a focus on equity, will prioritize low-income and disadvantaged communities, with over 60% of participants from these areas. Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E Corporation, highlighted the importance of virtual power plants in California’s clean energy future, emphasizing their role in safety, reliability, and resiliency.

Sunrun will play a key role by managing battery dispatches in Northern and Central California, using Tesla’s grid services platform and Lunar Energy’s AI-enabled forecasting to optimize energy storage use. This initiative marks a significant step in California's energy transition by turning homes into powerful grid assets that support local grid stability.

Source: renewableenergyworld.com