“DOE expects a surge in annual DER additions from 2025 to 2030, including 20 GW to 90 GW of demand capacity from EV charging infrastructure and 300 GWh to 540 GWh of storage capacity from EV batteries. It expects smart thermostats, smart water heaters and non-residential DER will contribute an additional 5 GW to 6 GW of flexible demand annually, distributed solar and fuel-based generators will add 20 GW to 35 GW a year and up to 24 GWh of capacity a year from stationary batteries.
“Rather than viewing the massive adoption of EV and other DERs just as load to serve, utilities and regional grid operators can view this as an opportunity to increase the flexibility of the grid and more efficiently use existing resources and infrastructure,” DOE said.
Buying peaking capacity from a VPP made of residential smart thermostats, smart water heaters, home managed EV charging, and behind-the-meter batteries can be 40% lower net cost to a utility than buying capacity from a utility-scale battery and 60% lower than from a gas peaker plant, DOE said, citing a May report by The Brattle Group.”
#VirtualPowerPlants
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀. 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗹𝘆.
Decades of electrification, digital acceleration, and rising demand have collided with grids that were not designed for today’s loads, from data centers to electrified fleets and AI-driven computing. That tension is driving the current energy crunch.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦?
The leadership imperative is to unlock dormant capacity in the system. That requires a shift in strategy, not just capital.
We are already seeing what this looks like in practice. Winthrop Center in Boston, for example, uses digital controls and intelligent energy management to consume 60% less electricity than a typical Boston office building. This reduces pressure on the grid without adding new supply.
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄:
◾ Optimise existing assets by modernising how current infrastructure is used to meet real demand rather than chasing new builds.
◾ Integrate flexibility and digital orchestration so smarter grids, AI forecasting, and demand response unlock capacity without new supply.
◾ Align stakeholders across sectors so utilities, technology operators, regulators, and corporates move from siloed goals to system-level value.
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
My perspective is reflected in a recent Forbes article on how leaders can turn today’s constraints into strategic advantages:
🔗 https://lnkd.in/e8G4ghB4#Forbes#DigitalAcceleration#Sustainability
I was honored to join Axios energy reporter Ben Geman at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, for a fireside chat to discuss what it will take to power an economy that’s more electrified, resilient and competitive. The reality is stark: demand for electricity is projected to grow far faster than overall energy use. This is no threat to prosperity; it’s an opportunity - if we act with realism and speed.
I have three takeaways from our discussion, and they are based on one simple insight: a successful energy transition needs energy security. We need to put the technologies and infrastructure in place to ensure we have the right energy, at the right time, at the right price.
We can achieve this if we:
1. Squeeze more from every kilowatt: Energy efficiency and grid modernization are just as important as energy supply. We can quickly improve energy efficiency in industries and buildings by using high-efficiency motors with variable-speed drives. If widely adopted, this could reduce electricity demand by about 10% - the same as the output from around 100 coal plants or 35 nuclear plants. These savings could meet the growing energy needs of data centers for several years.
2. Modernize and digitalize the grid: We are still trying to run a 21st century economy on 20th century infrastructure. By 2040, the world needs 80 million kilometers (almost 50 million miles) of grid upgrades, plus storage and digital control, to integrate variable renewables, balance peaks, and improve resilience. Permitting is now a critical bottleneck. This is where targeted policy – with smarter approvals, clear standards, and investment in distribution networks – can unlock real capacity quickly.
3. Make AI part of the solution: There are a lot of headlines that Artificial Intelligence is driving up demand for energy. However, AI-enabled energy management – with digital substations and edge control – can also optimize usage, reduce losses and prevent outages. We have to see AI as a crucial tool to manage grids, to forecast, shift and reduce demand. AI can help us align demand growth with grid reliability.
None of this scales without people. Resilient energy systems need a skilled workforce, from electricians to data scientists. Upskilling, retraining, and apprenticeships have to be made a priority by both the public and the private sector.
The path forward is clear: electrify everything you can; deploy efficiency first; digitalize the grid; and use AI to manage what we add (and have). For regions and countries that do this, energy security will be a competitive advantage creating the foundations for sustainable growth.
Listen to the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/emMu-4zr
“The Economic Reality of Tech Innovation: Imperative for Bipartisan Support”
Bipartisan support is essential to avoid "unintended consequences." Clean energy innovation is a complex issue with long-term implications for national security, economic prosperity and environmental health.
- Policy Stability: Long-term clean energy investments require stable and predictable policy frameworks. Shifting priorities with each change in administration or political party can deter private investment and slow progress.
- Global Leadership: The U.S. has an opportunity to set a global standard for sustainable data center development, influencing practices worldwide and maintaining its competitive edge.
Moving Forward: Constructive Analysis for Best Practices
An open discussion for constructive analysis and best practices should include:
1. Accelerating Permitting: Bipartisan efforts to streamline permitting for clean energy projects and data centers, while maintaining environmental standards.
2. Strategic Grid Modernization: Investing in smart grid technologies, transmission line upgrades, and distributed energy resources to enhance capacity and resilience.
3. Diversifying Clean Energy Portfolio: Promoting research, development, and deployment of a wider range of clean energy technologies, including advanced nuclear, geothermal, and long-duration storage, to complement intermittent renewables.
4. Incentivizing On-site/Co-located Clean Energy: Encouraging data centers to build their own clean energy sources or co-locate near renewable energy facilities.
5. Energy Efficiency and Demand Response: Continuing to push for innovations in data center energy efficiency (e.g., advanced cooling, optimized server utilization) and exploring demand response programs to help balance grid loads.
6. Data and Transparency: Improving data collection and sharing between utilities, data center developers and policymakers to better forecast demand and plan infrastructure.
7. Workforce Development: Investing in training programs to develop the skilled workforce needed for the clean energy and data center industries.
By fostering bipartisan collaboration on these issues, the U.S. can ensure continued investment in clean energy, strengthen its infrastructure and maintain its leadership in the rapidly evolving digital economy, rather than facing unintentional disadvantages in the global data center race.
Because currently, the Reconciliation Bill represents a major fork in the road on these issues and is actively being finalized in the Senate right now. Despite clean energy incentives having bipartisan support from lawmakers and constituents alike, they are all at risk of elimination, and we must ensure the Senate knows where we stand.
What are your suggestions (forward thinking) for Best Practices?
#TechWeekNYC#CleanEnergy#InnovationPolicy#DigitalInfrastructure#GridModernization
The Hidden Bottleneck in Clean Electrification
Clean electrification is the backbone of global decarbonization, and power grids are its critical enabler.
Yet, under net-zero scenarios, grid networks must expand by 50% by 2050, demanding $22.5 trillion in investment.
The Challenge we are facing is that the grids are lagging behind. Build rates in many developed economies are stagnant or declining, threatening the pace of the energy transition.
Even with advanced technologies to optimize flows and boost flexibility, new grid infrastructure remains unavoidable.
Accelerating grid development requires a step-change. Policymakers and industry must act across four fronts:
1- Strategic Alignment – A unified vision backed by data and stakeholder coordination.
2- Permitting Reform – Streamline approvals and build public trust.
3- Skills & Supply Chain – Close workforce and material gaps.
4- Financing Innovation – Unlock capital and reform investment models.
#EnergyTransition#Electrification#SmartGrid#GridModernization#BESS#EnergyStorage#Battery#Renewables.
EV Demand Management Aggregation Is Commercializing
There are four pathways for exploiting the massive battery capacity that's usually sitting idle in electric cars. Some have a lot more potential than others.
Full article with graph of scenario: https://lnkd.in/gmrcUDyE
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): Using EV batteries to supply power back to the grid during peak demand. While conceptually promising, V2G faces critical challenges. Cars are typically plugged in during peak demand, making them contributors to the problem, not the solution. People are hesitant to let utilities use their batteries due to concerns about battery degradation and insufficient compensation. Kahneman's prospect theory is informative.
Vehicle-to-Home and Task Power: EV batteries used as backup power for homes or tools at work sites. This approach has niche applications, primarily in markets like the U.S. and Australia, where detached homes with private driveways or small off-grid work sites are common. This is impractical for the majority of the global population, who live in multi-unit buildings with shared parking. For work sites, EV batteries are useful for small tasks but are quickly being overshadowed by large scale electrification.
Automatic Demand Management in Buildings: This pathway is already gaining traction in parking lots for fleets, offices, malls, commercial buildings, and multi-unit residences. Operators face significant demand charges for electricity use during peak hours. Automatic systems dynamically pause or reduce EV charging when demand is high, saving costs and reducing grid strain. This is becoming a standard feature as EV adoption accelerates.
Aggregated Demand Management: Aggregating EVs in a grid area to form large demand reduction blocks offers utilities a powerful tool for grid management. Companies like BluWave-ai are delivering this today, and utilities in Europe are signing up EV owners for it.
Automatic demand management in buildings and aggregated systems for utilities are shaping up to be the dominant strategies. As I predicted four years ago, these approaches align incentives and overcome key barriers to scale. V2G and V2H, while dominant in the popular press and a lot of literature, will be also rans.
If you’re an EV driver in Ontario or Prince Edward Island, consider signing up with BluWave-ai in their current round of driver onboarding.
India’s rapid renewable expansion is creating increasing variability and grid stress. While supply-side investments (solar, wind, batteries) continue, demand-side flexibility—especially from industry—remains underdeveloped.
Global experience, particularly in Spain, Germany, and France, shows that industrial loads can play a central role in balancing grids while improving economic efficiency.
India’s Real-Time Market hit Rs.0.00/kWh on 1 May 2026 across two consecutive 15-minute blocks at 10:30 and 10:45.
Sell bids were nearly 7.7 times higher than buy bids
Prices stayed near-zero for 4+ hours.
Similarly some days back there was 80% curtailment of VRE in Rajasthan
Rajasthan Solar Plants Ordered to Slash Production Amid Power Wastage Crisis, ETEnergyworld https://lnkd.in/gbzaPqbj
Also there have been rising peaks recent week like India met 256.1 GW peak https://lnkd.in/g9SuHXrp
India is sitting on a massive, underutilised asset in its energy transition: industrial demand flexibility.
The next phase of energy transition won’t be won only by adding more renewables.
It will be won by making demand smarter, flexible, and valuable.
Across Europe, a quiet shift is underway—industry is no longer just a power consumer, but a grid-balancing partner.
Countries like Spain and Germany are already moving in this direction:
Flexible grid access → industries connect with the condition that they can adjust demand
Lower grid charges → if you help the grid, you pay less
Flexibility markets → thermal storage (not just batteries) gets rewarded
Stackable incentives → efficiency + carbon + flexibility = better ROI
Priority Actions:
For Government & Regulators:
Define “flexible industrial load” category
Reform tariff structures to reward flexibility
Expand market mechanisms for ancillary and demand response
Enable policy stacking across schemes
For Industry:
Invest in thermal storage and load automation
Participate in demand response programs
Align operations with renewable generation cycles
India has the opportunity to move beyond a supply-centric energy transition toward a balanced system where demand actively supports the grid.
Industrial flexibility—supported by the right regulatory and market framework—can become a cornerstone of India’s net-zero pathway.
Reducing cross-subsidy burden from industries making electricity cheaper for industries.
With leadership from CEA,CERC, Ministries,Niti Aayog, India can leapfrog:
✔ Turn industrial loads into virtual power plants
✔ Use thermal storage as a low-cost flexibility backbone
✔ Reduce renewable curtailment without overbuilding grid infrastructure
✔ Make electrification of heat economically viable
💡 Industry is not the problem—it is part of the solution.
#EnergyTransition#IndustrialDecarbonization#Flexibility#Renewables#IndiaEnergy#NetZero
🔌 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲
The global utility industry is at a crossroads. Smart meters are no longer just about accurate billing—they’re becoming the digital backbone for advanced infrastructure and energy management systems.
Yet in the U.S. market, success requires more than great hardware. It demands a 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀.
🌐 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 Utilities face tough decisions: LTE, 5G, RF mesh, satellite? The right communications strategy isn’t just about today’s coverage—it’s about ensuring interoperability, long-term scalability, and seamless integration with other solutions. Product managers must understand this landscape deeply, owning relationships with mobile operators and technology partners while anticipating how emerging innovations—from private 5G to edge intelligence—fit into a long-term roadmap.
🔮 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄’𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 Customer expectations are shifting rapidly. AMI 2.0 is less about one-way data collection and more about enabling flexibility, demand response, distributed energy integration, and security. The winning approach requires listening closely to utilities today while having the foresight to identify the solutions they’ll need five years from now.
🤝 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘃𝘀. 𝗕𝘂𝘆: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 The question every product leader faces: do we design and develop in-house, or acquire and integrate? The right answer depends on speed to market, IP control, and the strength of existing ecosystems. Product leaders must constantly weigh these trade-offs to maximize value creation for customers and long-term differentiation.
⚡ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 By aligning communication strategies with emerging technologies, utilities can unlock new revenue streams, accelerate the energy transition, and deliver resilience for communities worldwide. The next generation of smart metering solutions will not just measure energy—they will 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺’𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.
👉 Curious to hear from peers in the industry: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲—𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆?
👉 #𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗱#𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴#𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻#𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻#𝗜𝗼𝗧#𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁#𝗨𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀#𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The electric transmission grid is the limiting factor for economic development in many communities across America. Energy communities looking to build generation and export power are discovering that the cost of grid upgrades stops that development. New manufacturing facilities face the same delays, costing jobs.
Poles and wires aren’t the only way to add transmission capacity. Grid Enhancing Technologies, or GETs, are sensors, controls and software that maximize the value of the existing grid. They usually find 20%-40% more capacity, which would return billions of dollars in benefits to consumers every year. Separate studies by leading engineering firms Quanta Technologies and the Brattle Group found that using GETs in generator interconnection could reduce wholesale energy costs nationwide by over $5 billion per year. GETs can also reduce grid congestion — when transmission infrastructure limits the delivery of lowest-cost power — which came to over $20 billion in 2022. GETs could have saved $2 billion-$8 billion in grid congestion every year for the past decade. GETs also mitigate the impacts of grid outages and find or create system flexibility that improves reliability.
These tools are more widely adopted outside the U.S. Countries that have modified the traditional cost-of-service business model to reflect changing grid needs are reaping the rewards. Domestically, low-cost operational technologies are not part of the utility business model — they are only compensated for building new infrastructure (known as “capital expenditures.”) #energytransition#gridenhancingtechnologies#electricgrid#smartgrids#gridcongestion#gridupgrades#infrastructure
Two Recent Policy Actions in CA and MD Suggest an Evolving Future for DERs.
1) On March 21, 2024, the California PUC issued ruling permitting distributed renewables to be interconnected to the grid through an energy export schedule (called a Limited Generation Profile). The ruling requires utilities to furnish hourly hosting capacity information for each circuit, allowing asset developers to design projects that stay within pre-defined limits - export levels can vary 24 times per year - instead of paying for upgrades such as new transformers. This provides a more realistic and cost-effective approach to integrating renewable exports into the grid.
2) On April 4, 2024, the Maryland legislature passed the Distributed Renewable Integration and Vehicle Electrification Act, or DRIVE (it now goes to the governor for signature). DRIVE requires utilities to compensate customers for providing grid services through virtual power plants (VPPs), while specifically calling for utilities to accelerate vehicle to grid (V2G) bidirectional charging systems. Utilities must submit V2G plans by next April and VPP plans 3 months later.
These actions matter. Today’s grid runs at around a 41% average annual capacity factor and it’s getting peakier. However, if we could cut demand by just 1%, we could reduce capital costs by roughly 8%. If we could cut peak demand by 10%, we’d reduce total expenditures by roughly a quarter. With a growing population of rooftop solar, home batteries, and EVs, we may soon have the tools to address this opportunity.
California’s first-of-its-kind approach helps avoid unnecessary grid upgrades, while Maryland’s future virtual power plants and bi-directional EVs will add flexibility while increasing capacity utilization factors – reducing costs per kilowatthour delivered.
Charging EVs at the right times, combined with solar assets, rooftop batteries, and optimized bi-directional flows could deliver more clean power to the right locations, when we need it and help flatten those costly demand curves.
If the two models were combined, then we’d really have something. Utilities elsewhere should be paying attention.
Links:
https://lnkd.in/enqATa_Rhttps://lnkd.in/ekyaEnHA#VPPs#virtualpowerplants#DERs#distributedenergyresources#vehicletogrid#V2G#vehicletoeverything