What's Needed to Accelerate Virtual Power Plant Adoption to Meet Growing Energy Demand?
Release Date: 12/01/2025
Vineyard’s Floating Solar To Slash its Utility Costs in Northern California by About $90k/Year
Clean Energy Today
Nelson Family Vineyards in Mendocino County, Calif., will soon power up its floating solar system, deployed on pontoons on an irrigation pond, expecting to cut utility costs, which jumped 180% over the last three years, by about $90,000 annually. Researchers at the University of California Davis are studying how the system will affect wildlife–the focus of our next podcast, which will touch on how songbirds at the farm are affected by the system–and how alligators in Florida climb onto these systems. The Nelsons are looking into selling or transferring a 30% investment tax credit to help...
info_outline
These Farmers Want to Use Agrivoltaics to Supply Healthy Food to their Community
Clean Energy Today
Itanna and Yosafe Murphy are working to use agrivoltaics--co-locating solar PV energy production with agricultural activities on their 160-acre farm--to provide healthy, fresh and tasty food to their community, along with STEM education and energy resilience. In addition to agrivoltaics, the project, located in Oregon's Willamette Valley, will integrate vertical farming and hydroponics. Oregon State University, Ecotrust, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and others have joined the effort as technical partners. Despite the loss of funding sources from the federal government under...
info_outline
Hay Farming Doesn't Pay the Bills. Agrivoltaics Does--and Helps Address Climate Warming
Clean Energy Today
, founder of Jack's Solar Garden in Boulder, Colo., an agrivoltaics site that attracts thousands of visitors annually, says hay farming doesn't pay the bills. But installing solar panels above crops and selling the solar to the utility is a revenue generator for the solar garden. Not only can agrivoltaics--the practice of co-locating solar panels with agricultural activities-- generate revenue, but it can also address climate warming by providing shade. Kominek educates students and community members about the benefits of agrivoltaics as director of the Colorado Agrivoltaics...
info_outline
What's Needed to Accelerate Virtual Power Plant Adoption to Meet Growing Energy Demand?
Clean Energy Today
A virtual power plant (VPP) is a collection of small-scale energy resources that, aggregated and coordinated with grid operations, can provide the same reliability and economic value to the grid as a traditional power plant, according to the nonprofit organization RMI. And VPPs can help utility customers earn money. Large energy users can earn up to $100,000 a year through CPower Energy's program, said Mike Smith, CEO of CPower. A recent report from RMI identified some of the gains VPPs have made recently. For example, 10 legislatures introduced VPP bills and four states passed VPP legislation...
info_outline
Small Farmer Has Bragging Rights For Charging EV with Solar, He Says
Clean Energy Today
Tim Nesbitt, former chief of staff to Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, claims bragging rights for charging his Chevy Bolt EV solely with solar power on his small farm, which is carbon neutral--and sometimes carbon negative. He has 84 ground-mounted solar panels that generate 18-19 kWh daily. Batteries provide some resilience for critical systems such as the internet and refrigeration. Nesbitt's friend, another farmer, is earning $1,500 per acre for selling solar installed on his farm by a third party--more than he can make by growing certain crops. Through the program, Nesbitt tells his story...
info_outline
How "Junk" Data Boosts Data Center Energy Costs
Clean Energy Today
Whether you’re a consumer who hoards old photos or a company that hangs onto unusable data, you’re boosting data centers’ energy costs. By focusing on reducing hoarded--or "junk" data--and improving efficiency, data centers can slash power consumption by 40% to 60%, according to senior vice president, business strategy, Hitachi Vantara. Ninan provides details about how data centers can achieve this kind of savings. Subscribe to this podcast on Email host Lisa Cohn at Learn more about her at Background reading:
info_outline
Tears, Hope and Prosumer Stories at Sun Day Rally for Clean Energy
Clean Energy Today
At the Sun Day event Sept. 21 in Portland, Ore.--a rally for clean energy--attendees shared their opinions about the Trump administration's policies targeting clean energy. They described the energy savings and resilience they're experiencing installling solar and storage at home. One atttendee started to shed tears recalling her involvement in the first Earth Day and the clean-energy inroads that effort yielded. A representative from the explained why it's important for youth to be included in clean energy discussions. And two solar prosumers outlined the benefits they're experiencing...
info_outline
Plug-In Solar is for "Everyone, Everywhere," Says Nonprofit. But Regulatory Changes Needed.
Clean Energy Today
Plug-in solar systems can be installed on balconies, sheds, walls and any other areas exposed to solar. Users plug them into standard wall outlets and immediately begin producing electricity. Bright Saver, a nonprofit organization that aims to make plug-in solar accessible to "everyone, everywhere," particularly to renters and those who can't access rooftop solar, seeks to overcome the legislative and regulatory barriers that prevent U.S. consumers from utilizing this technology, which is popular in Germany. Working with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), Bright Saver has...
info_outline
4 Challenges to Advanced Nuclear Reactor Deployment for Data Centers
Clean Energy Today
Hadron Energy says its micro modular reactors will produce power at 15 cents/kWh. How will the company make that possible? Do small modular reactors create more radioactive waste than conventional nuclear reactors? Which states have a moratorium on nuclear energy deployment? These are some of the questions my guests addressed in this podcast. Advanced nuclear reactors are seen as key to meeting soaring data center, AI and electrification demand because they provide baseload power and are carbon-free. But the advanced nuclear reactor industry faces a number of challenges, including...
info_outline
Crunching the EV Numbers in Rural Areas with EVmath
Clean Energy Today
In rural Oregon, electricity prices are low compared to those of gasoline and diesel fuel, as low as 6 cents/kWh. EVmath is a nonprofit that aims to help rural drivers crunch the numbers on buying EVs--beginning with Oregon and Washington. The nonprofit organization wants to show rural drivers that, whatever their politics, it might make sense economically to drive EVs. Here's an example: A gasoline-fueled car that gets 25 miles per gallon costs about 20 cents per mile at current gas prices. An EV that goes 4 miles/kWh charged at a rate of 6 cents/kWh costs 1.5 cents per mile. Economics...
info_outlineA virtual power plant (VPP) is a collection of small-scale energy resources that, aggregated and coordinated with grid operations, can provide the same reliability and economic value to the grid as a traditional power plant, according to the nonprofit organization RMI.
And VPPs can help utility customers earn money. Large energy users can earn up to $100,000 a year through CPower Energy's program, said Mike Smith, CEO of CPower.
A recent report from RMI identified some of the gains VPPs have made recently. For example, 10 legislatures introduced VPP bills and four states passed VPP legislation in 2024. But more action is needed to meet the organization’s goal of ensuring all US electricity consumers have access to VPP programs by 2035. Action is also needed to accelerate VPP adoption to meet booming energy demand.
Guests:
Gabriela Olmedo, head of policy and regulatory affairs at EnergyHub.
Mike Smith, CEO at CPower.
Background Reading:
RMI progress report, "From Awareness to Action."
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts
Send podcast episode ideas to host Lisa Cohn at Lisa@CleanEnergyWriters.com
Learn more about Lisa's energy writing at CleanEnergyWriters.