Virtual Power Plants and Distributed Energy Storage: The New Energy Market Catalysts

Energy-consuming industries are increasingly attracted to two transformative market solutions: energy storage technologies and demand-side flexibility and management markets. Both provide monetary advantages and improve participation in the energy market.

Energy storage technologies offer a way to stockpile energy for subsequent utilization, thereby mitigating intermittency associated with wind and solar power. Consequently, this enhances grid reliability. Simultaneously, demand-side flexibility and management markets can curtail peak electricity demand, fortifying the grid against disruptions.

The solutions may also work in tandem, leveraging the symmetrical nature of electricity markets, whereby users can purchase electricity from, and resell to, the grid. One strategy to exploit these emerging energy markets involves altering consumption timing. By avoiding energy usage during peak hours, manufacturing plants not only save on energy costs but also potentially earn revenue through demand-side flexibility services.

Sharing access to energy storage paves the way for further financial gains in this evolving market. Underutilized assets, such as Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems found in industrial facilities, wind and solar farms, data centers, and large commercial buildings, can be lent to the electricity grid, thereby improving profitability and enhancing grid resilience.

Excess energy from Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), such as solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles, can be stored in batteries or thermal storage facilities for later use, ideally when the market has an energy surplus. By pooling these geographically distributed and heterogeneous assets into a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), owners can enable energy demand flexibility markets without significantly disrupting their operations.

In summary, the emerging energy markets - energized by technologies such as VPPs and distributed energy storage - hold substantial potential for industries to both optimize their energy usage and uncover new revenue streams. Industries can contribute to a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy landscape by participating in these markets.