TL;DR
Get backup power and energy gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Google and energy firm Voltus have raised their target for a virtual power plant in the PJM region from 100 megawatts to 1 gigawatt. The effort would pay homes and businesses to reduce electricity use or supply battery power during peak demand, but Google has not announced a timeline or how the capacity will support specific data centers.
Google and Voltus plan to secure 1 gigawatt of virtual power plant capacity in the PJM electricity market, expanding a target the companies set in June by tenfold. The proposal would use participating homes and businesses to reduce electricity consumption or provide battery power when the grid is under pressure, as rising data center demand adds strain to the region.
The companies’ plan builds on an initial goal of 100 megawatts. Voltus, a California-based company that manages demand response and virtual power plants, would recruit customers willing to adjust their energy use or supply stored electricity. Software can coordinate these distributed resources so they can respond to grid needs without relying solely on new power plants or transmission infrastructure.
Voltus CEO Dana Guernsey said the first 100 megawatts was intended as an initial step toward a larger program. She said the company is seeking commitments from customers to provide grid support through 2040, a longer period than many demand-response arrangements. Such contracts could give participants revenue certainty, including for investments in batteries, while offering Google a longer-term source of flexible capacity.
Guernsey said the gigawatt being assembled for Google would be in addition to Voltus resources already being bid into PJM’s capacity market. She also said the Google program would use carbon-free capacity, rather than fossil-fueled backup generators or other emitting resources. Google has not provided details on how the plan would be linked to particular data centers.
A Flexible Resource for PJM’s Peak Demand
The announcement puts a large corporate customer behind a strategy intended to address electricity demand through customer flexibility, rather than only by adding generation. Virtual power plants aggregate many smaller resources, such as businesses that can shift operations and batteries that can discharge power. If the resources perform when needed, they could help meet peak demand while new infrastructure is being planned or built.
The stakes are substantial in PJM, which serves about 67 million people across a region stretching from Illinois to Virginia. The grid operator has faced sharply higher costs for securing enough capacity, while the source report says its forecasts show 30 to 34 gigawatts of additional demand by the early 2030s, driven by data centers and other large loads. A 1 GW target is significant in scale, but it does not by itself establish how much of that forecast demand the program can offset.
The approach could also affect local customers and regulators. Google’s energy-market development lead, Ellen Zuckerman, said the capacity is intended to support regional reliability and bring direct economic benefits to communities. Those outcomes depend on recruiting customers, securing durable commitments and delivering reductions or battery supply when PJM needs them.
From Demand Response to a Google Deal
Voltus has worked in demand response for nearly a decade. In 2025, it introduced a “bring your own capacity” model under which data center developers would pay other utility customers to reduce consumption at times of peak demand. Google is the only data center developer Voltus has publicly identified as a partner for this approach, according to the source report.
The companies announced their original 100 MW target in June and raised it to 1 GW in the new announcement. Voltus already manages more than 9 GW of demand-response and virtual power plant capacity across the country, and has said it is targeting 20 GW by 2030. The company also raised $225 million earlier this month, according to the report.
PJM’s capacity auction is a main route through which demand-response providers can earn revenue for making resources available. The auction secures capacity three years ahead, while the proposed Google-related commitments would extend through 2040. The longer contract period could support investment in resources such as batteries, but it is a distinct commitment from participation in PJM’s existing capacity market.
“Support regional reliability and deliver direct economic benefits to local communities.”
— Ellen Zuckerman, Google’s head of energy market development for North and South America
Timeline and Delivery Remain Open
Google has not disclosed when the 1 GW target is expected to be reached, how much capacity has already been contracted, or which locations and data centers it would support. The announcement sets a goal; it does not establish that the full amount is already available to PJM or can be delivered during every period of grid stress.
It is also unclear how many customers will participate, what types of resources will make up the portfolio, or how the companies will measure and verify reductions and battery output. The source report says Voltus is pursuing commitments through 2040, but does not provide contract terms or explain how customers’ participation would be coordinated with other grid programs. The program’s actual effect on PJM reliability and electricity costs remains to be seen.
Recruitment and Grid Commitments
Voltus will need to secure customer commitments and assemble the flexible resources behind the 1 GW target. The next evidence of progress is likely to include details about contracted capacity, participating customers, battery deployment and how resources will be made available during peak periods.
Google may also face questions from utilities and state regulators about which data center loads the program is intended to address and how the claimed community benefits will be assessed. Until the companies provide a timeline and implementation details, the announcement remains a large-scale procurement goal rather than a documented measure of relief already delivered to PJM.
Key Questions
What have Google and Voltus announced?
They plan to secure 1 GW of virtual power plant capacity in PJM, increasing an earlier 100 MW target announced in June.
How would the virtual power plant work?
Voltus would aggregate participating homes and businesses that can reduce electricity use or supply battery power when grid demand is high. Software would coordinate those distributed resources.
When will the 1 GW be available?
No timeline has been announced. Google has also not said how much capacity is already secured or when it would be available to PJM.
Does the plan cover Google’s data centers specifically?
The companies have not identified specific data centers or explained how the capacity will be allocated to particular existing or planned facilities in PJM territory.
Will the program use fossil-fuel backup generators?
Voltus CEO Dana Guernsey said the capacity being secured for Google would be carbon-free and would not rely on fossil-fueled backup generators or other emitting resources. Details of the full resource mix have not been disclosed.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
