The Invisible Weapon Being Used to Prevent Blackouts
The US electric grid increasingly relies on the “virtual power plant” to limit consumption — and ward off outages — during peak periods.
Transmission towers in California’s Mojave Desert. The US Energy Department estimates that peak consumption may increase by as much as 200 gigawatts this decade.
Photographer: Bing Guan/BloombergWelcome to our guide to the energy and commodities markets driving the global economy. Today, reporter Josh Saul looks at the potential for “virtual power plants” to prevent blackouts on increasingly strained grids. To get this newsletter sent to your inbox, sign up here.
As summer heat strikes, the US grid increasingly relies on a kind of invisible weapon — the “virtual power plant” — to prevent blackouts.