Published 
Mar 7, 2023

Voltus Exceeds Capacity Commitment to the PJM Interconnection During Winter Storm Elliott

Voltus’s PJM virtual power plant helped to keep the heat on for millions of consumers, underscoring the critical role of VPPs in ensuring public safety and grid reliability

SAN FRANCISCO and BOSTON, March 8, 2023 - Voltus, Inc. ("Voltus"), the leading distributed energy resource (DER) software platform and virtual power plant (VPP) operator, announces that its portfolio of PJM customers performed at 116% overall in PJM’s Emergency Load Response Program (ELRP) dispatch during December 2022’s Winter Storm Elliott. This performance represented additional critical demand relief to the grid beyond Voltus’s market commitment, helping to keep the heat and holiday lights on for millions of homes. 

The ELRP dispatch, the first since 2014, was an important step in helping to prevent rotating power outages across the entire PJM region. PJM was missing approximately 57,000 MW of generation by the morning peak on December 24th as many traditional power plants struggled to perform during the cold weather.

“The reliability of Voltus’s VPP is supported by a scalable platform that can orchestrate millions of distributed energy resources of every type to quickly meet the needs of the grid,” explains Voltus Senior Vice President of Operations and Customer Success, Stephanie Hendricks. “In total, and with the support of our technology, our customers provided 11.6 GWh of load relief across the US and Canada during Winter Storm Elliott, delivering dependable generator-scale capacity. The economic and reliability benefits of our customers’ efforts ultimately trickle back down to the consumer in the form of lower energy costs and fewer power disruptions during these increasingly frequent severe weather events.” 

Despite these proven benefits, twelve states across the United States have banned VPP operators from directly participating in wholesale market programs. The Michigan Public Service Commission recently made its policies more inclusive, allowing aggregations of commercial and industrial customers with at least 1 MW of aggregated load to enroll, a decision that was fueled by Voltus’s October filing, and an action that Voltus urges other states to follow Michigan’s lead, as the strain on the electric grid continues to rise.

The Voltus platform currently integrates with all wholesale markets across the US and Canada, providing its customers and partners access to nearly sixty programs, including utility-level and peak management opportunities. These programs create revenue and savings for participating businesses while strengthening the impact of VPPs in these regions. To earn cash while supporting the reliability of the electric grid, email [email protected].  

About Voltus, Inc.
Voltus is the leading software technology platform and virtual power plant operator connecting over 4 GW of distributed energy resources to electricity markets, delivering less expensive, more reliable, and more sustainable electricity. Our commercial and industrial customers and DER partners generate cash by allowing Voltus to maximize the value of their flexible load, distributed generation, energy storage, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle resources in these markets. To learn more, visit www.voltus.co.

Media Contact
Mona Khaldi
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