Virtual Power Plant Market Report by Technology (Distribution Generation, Demand Response, Mixed Asset), Source (Renewable Energy, Cogeneration, Energy Storage), End User (Industrial, Commercial, Residential), and Region 2024-2032

The global virtual power plant market size reached US$ 1.7 Billion in 2023. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 11.6 Billion by 2032, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 23.8% during 2023-2032. Some of the key factors driving the virtual power plant market are the escalating need for sustainable energy sources, the advancement of energy management and control systems, and the rising adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).

Virtual Power Plant Market Analysis:

Major Market Drivers: One of the key market drivers are the rising focus on environmental sustainability. Moreover, the escalating need to optimize energy production is acting as a market driver.

Key Market Trends: The market demand is impelled owing to numerous primary trends such as the rising adoption of renewable energy sources and a shift towards grid decentralization.

Geographical Trends: According to the report, North America exhibits a clear dominance, accounting for the largest market share. This is due to favorable government initiatives in the region.

Competitive Landscape: Various key market players in the virtual power plant industry are ABB Ltd., AGL Energy Ltd., Autogrid Systems Inc., Enel Spa, Flexitricity Limited (Reserve Power Holdings (Jersey) Limited), General Electric Company, Hitachi Ltd., Next Kraftwerke GmbH, Osisoft LLC (AVEVA Group plc), Schneider Electric SE, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Sunverge Energy Inc., among many others.

Challenges and Opportunities: One of the key challenges hindering the market growth is regulatory and policy barriers. Nonetheless, the optimization of energy resources represents virtual power plant market recent opportunities.

Virtual Power Plant Market Trends:

Growing Adoption of Renewable Energy Sources

The increasing adoption of sustainable or renewable energy sources is catalyzing the virtual power plant demand. The increase in solar panel and wind turbine installations is enhancing the decentralized energy generation model. The rise in distributed energy resources (DERs) is leading to a demand for effective management and optimization of these assets. VPPs play a vital role in unlocking the potential of renewables by facilitating smooth integration, collection, and management of various DERs, thus improving grid stability and dependability. Moreover, several companies are partnering with other stakeholders to improve their sources of renewable energy. On 6 September 2023, ABB Motion and WindESCo, signed a strategic partnership, where ABB has acquired a minority stake in the company through its venture capital unit, ABB Technology Ventures (ATV). US-based WindESCo is the leading analytics software provider for improving the performance and reliability of wind turbines. Leveraging WindESCo’ solutions, the investment will strengthen ABB’s position as a key enabler of a low carbon society and its position in the renewable power generation sector.

Rising Shift Towards Grid Decentralization

The rising shift towards grid decentralization is propelling the virtual power plant market growth. Grid decentralization is fostering greater incorporation of renewable energy sources into the grid. In addition, solar panels and wind turbines are being installed in various locations that benefit in contributing to a distributed energy generation system. Moreover, the trend of grid decentralization is facilitating enhanced grid resilience. This is particularly important for dealing with climate-related challenges and natural disasters. On 4 August 2022, Tesla and PG&E announced a plan to build California’s largest virtual power plant as these plants are a valuable resource for supporting grid reliability and an essential part of California’s clean energy future.

Increasing Development of Advanced Energy Management and Control Systems

The need for virtual power plants is stimulated by the increasing development of sophisticated energy management and control systems. The capacity of these systems to simultaneously aggregate, analyze, and optimize dispersed energy resources is growing. VPPs are able to react to variations in the supply and demand for energy more effectively because of this ongoing progress. Furthermore, by integrating machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms into energy management and control systems, VPPs can anticipate and adjust to changes in the energy market with a level of improved accuracy. Furthermore, key players in the virtual power plant market are engaging in collaborations and acquisitions to provide enhanced services to various applications. On 10 January 2023, GM, Ford, Google and solar energy producers collaborated to establish standards for scaling up the use of virtual power plants (VPPs), systems for easing loads on electricity grids when supply is short. The virtual power plant partnership (VP3) also aims to shape policy for promoting the use of the systems.

Virtual Power Plant Market Segmentation:

The report provides an analysis of the key trends in each segment of the market, along with virtual power plant market forecast at the global, regional, and country levels for 2024-2032. Our report has categorized the market based on technology, source, and end user.

Breakup by Technology:

Distribution Generation
Demand Response
Mixed Asset

Demand response accounts for the majority of the market share

The report has provided a detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the technology. This includes distribution generation, demand response, and mixed asset. According to the report, demand response represented the largest segment.

Demand response is preferred to balance electricity supply and demand. It adjusts the consumption of electricity during times of high or low availability. VPPs continuously monitor the electricity grid, including supply, demand, and pricing data, in real time. They also gather information on the state of the distributed energy resources within the system. VPPs use advanced algorithms and ML to forecast electricity demand patterns. They also predict when demand will peak and when there will be excess supply from renewable sources.

Breakup by Source:

Renewable Energy
Cogeneration
Energy Storage

A detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the source have also been provided in the report. This includes renewable energy, cogeneration, and energy storage.

Renewable energy sources can be naturally replenished and are considered eco-friendly because they emit fewer greenhouse gases (GHGs). Their importance in VPPs is significant as they can assist in lowering carbon emissions and supplying eco-friendly and renewable energy.

Cogeneration, also called combined heat and power (CHP), involves the simultaneous generation of electricity and useful heat from a single fuel source such as natural gas, biomass, or waste heat. Moreover, VPPs have the ability to incorporate CHP systems such as industrial CHP plants, district heating systems, and commercial cogeneration units in order to enhance energy efficiency and fully utilize resources. Besides this, cogeneration has the potential to enhance energy efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy storage systems play a vital role in VPPs by allowing for the effective control and enhancement of various distributed energy resources. They offer versatility by saving extra energy during times of surplus and discharging it during times of high demand or low renewable energy production.

Breakup by End User:

Industrial
Commercial
Residential

Industrial represents the leading market segment

The report has provided a detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the end user. This includes industrial, commercial, and residential. According to the report, industrial represented the largest segment.

VPPs help industrial facilities manage and optimize their energy consumption by integrating various DERs like solar panels, wind turbines, combined heat and power (CHP) systems, and energy storage devices. Industrial VPPs participate in demand response programs by changing their energy consumption in response to grid signals or price fluctuations. This helps balance supply and demand on the grid and can generate revenue for industrial facilities. They can also automate load shedding or load shifting processes to reduce energy consumption during peak demand events. They also assist in enhancing energy resilience by enabling seamless transitions between grid power and on-site generation/storage during disruptions.

Breakup by Region:

North America
United States
Canada
Asia-Pacific
China
Japan
India
South Korea
Australia
Indonesia
Others
Europe
Germany
France
United Kingdom
Italy
Spain
Russia
Others
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Others
Middle East and Africa

North America leads the market, accounting for the largest virtual power plant market share

The report has also provided a comprehensive analysis of all the major regional markets, which include North America (the United States and Canada); Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, and others); Europe (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, and others); Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and others); and the Middle East and Africa. According to the report, North America represents the largest regional market for virtual power plant.

The rising focus on integrating renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar into the grid is supporting the market growth in the North America region. Besides this, there is an increase in the awareness among individuals about the importance of maintaining grid resilience. Furthermore, there is a rise in the conduction of demand response programs that allow individuals to actively participate in managing their energy consumption. Additionally, the increasing construction of solar and hydel power plants is strengthening the market growth. In addition, there is a rise in the adoption of virtual power plants due to favorable government initiatives. For instance, on 26 July 2023, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a new VPP program that aims to help thousands of distributed solar-charged and standalone batteries located at homes and businesses throughout the state to meet the state’s growing electricity needs.

Competitive Landscape:

The market research report has also provided a comprehensive analysis of the competitive landscape in the market. Detailed profiles of all major companies have also been provided. Some of the major market players in the virtual power plant industry include ABB Ltd., AGL Energy Ltd., Autogrid Systems Inc., Enel Spa, Flexitricity Limited (Reserve Power Holdings (Jersey) Limited), General Electric Company, Hitachi Ltd., Next Kraftwerke GmbH, Osisoft LLC (AVEVA Group plc), Schneider Electric SE, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Sunverge Energy Inc.

(Please note that this is only a partial list of the key players, and the complete list is provided in the report.)

Key market players are investing in research and development (R&D) operations to improve the software that manages distributed energy resources (DERs), thereby increasing virtual power plant market revenue. They are enhancing grid integration capabilities and incorporating AI and ML to optimize energy generation and distribution. They are also working on making their solutions more scalable by designing systems that can easily accommodate additional DERs. Top companies are collaborating with utilities, grid operators, and other players to ensure seamless communication and coordination between the VPP and the grid infrastructure. On 30 June 2022, AutoGrid collaborated with Willdan to accelerate the adoption of heat pump water heaters to decarbonize buildings by replacing emissions-intensive, gas-fired water heaters. This collaboration will leverage AutoGrid's virtual power plant platform to add significant levels of flexible grid capacity.

Virtual Power Plant Market Recent Developments:

22 September 2022: AutoGrid launched one of several VPP projects in collaboration with Canadian manufacturer Mysa, whose line of innovative smart thermostats for electric heating and cooling systems offers robust home energy management capabilities for both consumers and utilities. The initial VPP project with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) supports a targeted demand side program to postpone the buildout of a new substation in the Pacific NorthWest.

10 January 2023: Ford announced the formation of the virtual power plant partnership (VP3), a coalition led by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) that aims to scale the market for virtual power plants to help advance affordable and reliable electric sector decarbonization and support grid resiliency.

24 August 2023: The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) approved Tesla for launching two energy storage system users in Texas. The first VPP is a distributed energy resource (ADER) project that aims to provide dispatchable power for peak demand loads on the state's electricity grid in Houston and Dallas.

Key Questions Answered in This Report

1. What was the size of the global virtual power plant market in 2023?
2. What is the expected growth rate of the global virtual power plant market during 2024-2032?
3. What are the key factors driving the global virtual power plant market?
4. What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global virtual power plant market?
5. What is the breakup of the global virtual power plant market based on the technology?
6. What is the breakup of the global virtual power plant market based on the end user?
7. What are the key regions in the global virtual power plant market?
8. Who are the key players/companies in the global virtual power plant market?