Technology Tuesday: Virtual Power Plants

I thought I would share a concept with you that is still relatively new but has been gaining traction in recent years:  Virtual Power Plants. 

With the increasing need for demand response and increasing presence of independent power producers, there has also been an increase in the need for innovation in the energy sector.  Electricity infrastructure is becoming more diverse and the concept of Virtual Power Plants allows those diverse and, often, sporadically located energy resources to be integrated. 

What exactly do all those fancy terms mean?!  To put it simply, a Virtual Power Plant creates a network of energy resources, regardless of their location, to be interconnected to create a reliable power source.  Sounds a lot like a microgrid, right?  Microgrids and Virtual Power Plants are very similar in operation and purpose.  However, the major difference between them is that a microgrid has a very specific network boundary in which it operates.  In contrast, Virtual Power Plants do not have this limitation and are, generally, much more flexible. 

Look out for this concept to gain in popularity as the push for resiliency, reliable energy, and renewable energy intensifies! 

Sources: 

https://microgridknowledge.com/virtual-power-plant-defined/ 

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