Photo: Revive Home
Texas is about to get a superpower — a new AI-powered virtual power plant (VPP) that delivers capacity equivalent to 200,000 homes during peak demand.
NRG Energy is partnering with Renew Home to bring nearly 1 gigawatt (GW) of power to the Texas grid by 2035, aiming to make it more resilient while helping residents save on electricity costs.
The new VPP will rely on hundreds of thousands of smart thermostats and other connected home devices, using AI technology provided by Google Cloud. These devices, like the Vivint and Nest smart thermostats, will be offered to eligible customers at no charge. By automating HVAC changes, they help shift energy consumption to where electricity is cheaper, cleaner, and less stressful.
NRG and Renew Home have great VPP programs. Starting in the spring of 2025, the companies plan to roll out the program across Texas, installing these smart thermostats in homes served by NRG's retail electric providers. Eventually, they plan to add home battery storage and EVs to expand the power plant's capacity.
Texas faced record-breaking energy needs, with peak consumption reaching 85 GW by 2023. As the population grows and extreme weather becomes more frequent, VPPs like this one can play an important role in stabilizing the grid. VPPs integrate many small energy resources, from smart thermostats to home batteries, and use them to help balance supply and demand during times of high stress on the grid.
This nearly 1 GW VPP will be one of the largest in Texas. NRG's president of consumer operations, Rasesh Patel, called it a “significant step” to improve the customer experience while making Texas' energy infrastructure sustainable and resilient.
In addition to Renew Home, NRG is working with Google Cloud to increase the efficiency of the power plant. Google Cloud's AI and analytics tools will help predict weather conditions, forecast renewable generation, and optimize energy use, all of which will help streamline energy management for both customers and the grid.
Ben Brown, CEO of Renew Home, said:
NRG's commitment to creating a more resilient and sustainable energy future while making electric bills more affordable makes them the perfect partner to co-develop this unique VPP program.
This plan raises the bar to future-proof our electrical infrastructure and deliver cost savings to customers.
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