Virtual Power Plants Explained — What They Mean for Rural America
"Michael, I have no clue what a virtual power plant is."
That's how this one started. Eighteen months later it's in every energy conversation we're having — and utilities across the West are already running programs that pay their own customers for it.
In this episode of the Rural E Podcast, co-host Michael Kluz walks us through the research behind his master's thesis on virtual power plants (VPPs) and what they could actually mean for rural communities. Not theory — real programs, real payments, real numbers.
The short version: a VPP is software that ties thousands of small energy resources…
The skinny
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