Google will fund a three-year virtual power plant in PJM aggregating up to 100 MW of distributed energy resources annually under a deal with Voltus. Participating customers will enroll batteries and smart thermostats in Voltus’ BYOC program and receive payments for delivering capacity during peak demand.
Google and Voltus signed a three-year pact to aggregate up to 100 MW of distributed energy resources each year into a Google-funded virtual power plant in PJM. Google will finance the capacity commitment, and Voltus will coordinate enrolled assets to deliver accredited capacity during peak demand periods, earning payments for participants.
Under the Bring Your Own Capacity (BYOC) structure, Voltus will enroll batteries, smart thermostats and other flexible assets from local businesses and homes across PJM. The platform coordinates device discharge or load adjustments when called, providing demand-side capacity rather than continuous energy supply and avoiding new generation or transmission buildout.
This deal extends Google’s push to integrate demand flexibility into its power procurement, following its integration of 1 GW of demand response capacity under long-term contracts with multiple utilities. It marks the first commercial BYOC agreement with a hyperscaler in a U.S. wholesale market and supports faster data center interconnections by alleviating grid stress.
Finance
