Access to the grid-balancing market is competitive and carefully regulated. Green electricity from distributed and behind-the-meter renewable assets is already being traded on wholesale and balancing markets. The assets come in all shapes and sizes: roof-top solar, farmyard biofuel installations, EV and home battery systems, community energy projects, wind installations and heat pumps to name but a few. When they are pooled, by aggregators, they can be presented as one, utility-scale, virtual power plant (VPP). Green competition for traditional power plants you might say. VPPs success will depend on consistent rules, the roll-out of smart controls – at both distribution and transmission levels – and price competitiveness. According to Eric Marx they are being squeezed on all fronts…
to READ FULL ARTICLE login or SIGN UP for PREMIUM by clicking here