Electricity rates have reached unacceptable levels for Californians in recent months. PG&E’s rates increased once again on March 1 and California state senators recently reprimanded the California Public Utility Commission for the approval of six PG&E rate hikes in the past year. In addition, Californians are paying for surging energy demand from the growth of data centers in the state, which is providing massive profits for Big Tech at public cost. To add further insult to injury, tariffs on Canadian energy imports are likely to drive energy prices in California even higher. Californians need access to affordable electricity now. Virtual power plants (VPPs) can help.
VPPs are networks of clean, distributed energy resources like smart thermostats, home batteries, smart plugs, electric water heaters, and electric vehicles. When aggregated, these resources can deliver energy to the grid during peak demand hours to keep the lights on for everyone. Californians who enroll in a VPP program would be paid directly to incentivize their participation, saving them up to $500 million per year. Unenrolled California households would still save up to $50 million per year because VPPs would help the state avoid building additional energy infrastructure. In addition, VPPs also help reduce strain on the grid during climate disasters, including extreme heatwaves.
AB 740 (Harabedian), co-sponsored by The Climate Center, Advanced Energy United, and Environment California, would require the California Energy Commission to include VPPs in its modeling of energy supplies for California and adopt a strategy to enable VPP deployment at scale across the state.
AB 740 will make electricity cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable for all Californians. Ask your assemblymember to support AB 740 today.
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