Google and Voltus expand virtual power plant to 1 gigawatt across PJM grid

Households and businesses that cut power use at peak demand will be paid, easing strain on a grid serving 67 million people.

Google and Voltus have widened their partnership to assemble a 1-gigawatt virtual power plant spanning the PJM grid, which supplies power to 67 million people across 13 states and the District of Columbia. Voltus pools flexible load from businesses and households, including smart thermostats, batteries and industrial equipment, and Google is funding the resulting network. Participants cut their consumption when demand peaks, easing strain on the grid, and in return they receive lower power bills and direct cash payments. The deal scales up an earlier 100-megawatt arrangement tenfold, which the companies describe as one of the largest distributed capacity portfolios any hyperscaler has put together. Google frames the effort as a way to add capacity to local grids while improving reliability and keeping costs down.