PI: Rudy Shankar
University: Lehigh University
The term “virtual power plant” has entered the lexicon of those talking about the modern electric grid. VPPs are made of several DERs that have played a key role in the energy industry transformation. DERs generally consist of renewable energy resources–such as solar arrays, wind turbines, energy storage systems, and EVs–and are increasingly popular due to their lower prices (backed with federal subsidies) that has created a unique market for individuals/companies to manage their energy consumption. VPPs could substitute traditional peaker plants, which are expensive, to meet peak demands and provide load-leveling to maintain stable prices. This project would operationalize previous work to assess and rank VPP assets to meet several Climate Action Plan objectives, such as reducing peak demand, reduce GHG emissions, or lower electricity demand.