Delegate Lily Franklin (HD-41) has announced her legislation to establish a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) pilot program passed the Senate with bipartisan support and will advance to the Governor’s desk for her signature.
According to Franklin, the bill allows Appalachian Power Company to begin the process of establishing a program that leverages excess electricity to supply the grid during periods of peak demand.
“As we think about ways to make energy more affordable and reliable, VPPs have been identified as one of the key solutions going forward,” Franklin said. “These programs can address demand increases and rising peaks at a lower cost than conventional resources. This version is scaled for ApCo’s territory and reflects a timeline that they’ve agreed to. My constituents want cost-saving and reliability benefits of VPPs to be available in every corner of the Commonwealth, and I’m pleased to see the Senate’s action to make this a reality.”
VPPs are defined as “aggregations of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as rooftop solar with behind-the-meter (BTM) batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and chargers, electric water heaters, smart buildings and their controls, and flexible commercial and industrial (C&I) loads that can balance electricity demand and supply and provide utility-scale and utility-grade grid services like a traditional power plant.”
“This is an innovative solution to address the rising costs of electricity without forcing ratepayers to subsidize capital projects in an expeditious manner not subject to construction delays,” Franklin’s announcement reads.
Lily Franklin was elected to the House of Delegates in 2025 to represent House District 41, which includes parts of Montgomery County and Roanoke County
