Full Title: Virtual Power Plant Metering and Telemetry: Flexible Demand, Inflexible Requirements
Author(s): Kevin Brehm and Athindra Venkatraman
Publisher(s): Rocky Mountain Institute
Publication Date: October 3, 2025
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Driven by consumer demand, distributed energy resources (DERs) are set to grow by over 170 GW in the next five years. Virtual power plants (VPPs) are low-cost, nimble, and rapidly deployable mechanisms to integrate DERs into the grid in an affordable and reliable manner to address rapid load growth.
However, a major barrier to scaling VPPs is metering and telemetry. The scaling of VPPs across the United States is stifled by onerous or inconsistent metering and telemetry requirements that vary across regions, stringent rules around the usage of pre-approved hardware, and limited data availability that constrains the scope of VPP participation.
This report is intended to educate and provide decision-making support for regulators, utilities, and other policymakers responsible for advancing VPP rules and policies.