Companies building virtual power plants

Base Power

Base Power is an Austin, Texas company co-founded by Zach Dell (CEO) and Justin Lopas. Base owns and installs a large home battery at the customer's home. In deregulated Texas areas it acts as the retail electric provider with fixed-rate service, and elsewhere it works through utility partnerships. Base says it 'earns income from the power grid instead of from members.' The battery charges when power is cheap and 'may share some power back when the grid is stressed,' while always keeping backup in reserve. In April 2026, Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative and Base announced a 50 MW expansion of their residential battery program (up from a 2 MW pilot), with the fleet taking part in ERCOT's ADER pilot.

Role in VPPs: Battery owner, retail electric provider (deregulated TX) and fleet operator in ERCOT. The battery agreement runs with the home.

basepowercompany.com

EnergyHub

EnergyHub is a Brooklyn, New York-based grid-edge DERMS provider owned by Alarm.com. Utilities use it to run multi-device VPPs from one platform. As of December 2025 it reported 2.5 million DERs under management, 120+ utilities, and 2.5 GW of dispatchable flexible capacity. That month it acquired Resideo Grid Services. Homeowners usually meet EnergyHub through their utility's thermostat, battery or EV program, not directly.

Role in VPPs: Software platform (DERMS) that utilities use to run their own VPP programs.

energyhub.com

Enphase Energy

Enphase describes itself as 'a global energy technology company and the world's leading supplier of microinverter-based solar-plus-storage systems,' with microinverters, IQ Batteries, EV chargers and the Enphase App. Enphase IQ Batteries are approved for utility grid-services programs where owners are paid for battery output during peak events. In December 2023 these included PG&E's Emergency Load Reduction Program, PSEG Long Island's Battery Storage Rewards and Connecticut's Energy Storage Solutions. In 2023 Octopus Energy US announced a partnership to bid Enphase home batteries into ERCOT ancillary-service markets.

Role in VPPs: Equipment maker. Enables owner-enrolled (BYOD) participation in utility and retailer programs.

enphase.com

FranklinWH

FranklinWH makes home batteries (aPower) and partners 'with a growing network of utilities' on VPP and demand-response programs. Eligible homeowners can sign up 'via the FranklinWH App or through a FranklinWH partner, such as a utility company or DERMS platform providers,' and can earn bill credits or revenue. FranklinWH keeps a state-by-state list of supported programs on its Homeowner Incentives page.

Role in VPPs: Battery maker. Enables owner-enrolled (BYOD) participation.

franklinwh.com

Generac (incl. ecobee and Concerto)

Generac was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin. In December 2021 it acquired ecobee, the smart-thermostat maker. Its Concerto software 'provides a highly flexible approach for controlling and dispatching DERs from flexible loads, backup generators, energy storage systems, and other renewable energy sources,' and Generac says Concerto 'gives utilities and grid operators the flexibility to operate virtual power plants in real-time.' ecobee's Community Energy Savings lets thermostat owners join utility demand-response programs from the ecobee app. Rewards come from the utility, and owners can opt out of any event.

Role in VPPs: Equipment maker (generators, batteries, ecobee thermostats) and VPP/DER software (Concerto) for utilities.

generac.com

Haven Energy

Haven Energy is a Los Angeles climate-tech company. In October 2023 it launched a California VPP open to home battery owners through the CEC's Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) program. In April 2025 it began offering income-qualified California homeowners free solar and battery systems funded through the state's SGIP Residential Solar & Storage Equity program. Under that model Haven 'owns the equipment and captures state rebates, tax credits, and demand response revenues,' and aims to aggregate 10 MW.

Role in VPPs: VPP aggregator for owner batteries (DSGS) and third-party owner of income-qualified systems.

havenenergy.com

Leap (Leapfrog Power, Inc.)

Leap provides a software platform for technology companies to build VPP offerings. It connects batteries, smart thermostats, heat pumps and EV chargers to energy markets and demand-response programs, which earns revenue for device makers and end users. It works with 50+ technology brands, including Samsung, Carrier, Generac, Nuvve and Wallbox. Homeowners usually take part through a device brand's app that uses Leap behind the scenes.

Role in VPPs: Market-access software and aggregator for device brands.

leap.energy

Lunar Energy

Lunar Energy was founded in 2020 in Silicon Valley by CEO Kunal Girotra, a former Tesla Energy executive. It makes the Lunar System home battery and Lunar Gridshare, AI software that 'aggregates residential batteries to provide grid capacity and frequency response.' In February 2026 it announced $232 million in Series C and D funding ($530 million raised since founding) and more than 2,000 home systems deployed. It designs in California and manufactures in Georgia and Washington.

Role in VPPs: Battery maker and VPP software (Gridshare) for utilities, retailers and grid operators.

lunarenergy.com

Octopus Energy US

Octopus Energy U.S. is a Houston-based renewable electricity retailer in Texas. In January 2023 it announced a partnership with Enphase to build a VPP from customers' home batteries and bid them into ERCOT ancillary-service markets. It uses KrakenFlex software, and its Intelligent Octopus plan manages batteries in exchange for bill savings.

Role in VPPs: Retail electric provider that manages customer-owned batteries through smart plans.

octopusenergy.com

Renew Home

Renew Home was formed in May 2024 when Google's Nest Renew and OhmConnect combined, with Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners as majority owner after a $100M investment. At launch it said it controlled nearly 3 GW and planned to reach 50 GW by 2030. Its platform uses connected devices, especially smart thermostats including Google Nest, to shift heating and cooling to cheaper, cleaner or less grid-stressed times. It has a partnership with NRG targeting 1 GW in Texas by 2035.

Role in VPPs: Residential VPP operator for thermostats and smart devices. Homeowners keep their own devices.

renewhome.com

SolarEdge

SolarEdge is headquartered in Milpitas, California. In October 2025 it reported more than 500 MWh of residential battery storage enrolled in virtual power plants across 16 US states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Programs named include Arizona Public Service, Tucson Electric Power, South Carolina, New York utilities (National Grid, NYSEG, RG&E), California's DSGS and a program in Puerto Rico. SolarEdge says over 40% of its US battery sites take part in incentive programs, with homeowners and third-party owners receiving the incentives.

Role in VPPs: Equipment maker and VPP software. Aggregates SolarEdge batteries into utility programs.

solaredge.com

SOLRITE Energy

SOLRITE Energy is a virtual power plant developer. It finances, owns and runs residential solar + battery and battery-only systems, using sonnen batteries in Texas, and earns revenue from energy sales, grid-operator payments and incentive programs. In February 2026, SOLRITE and sonnen launched a battery-only VPP in deregulated Texas markets with a retail electricity partner, and in August 2026 the program expanded to Illinois (ComEd and Ameren Illinois areas). VirtuGrid, which powers this site, is an independent sales partner for SOLRITE.

Role in VPPs: Third-party owner/financier and VPP operator. Owns the batteries, controls dispatch and sells energy to the homeowner through a retail partner.

sonnen

sonnen was founded in 2010 in Wildpoldsried, Bavaria, Germany, and its US headquarters is in Tucker, Georgia. The sonnenCommunity lets customers produce, store and share energy and take part in virtual power plants. In the US, sonnen sells home batteries (including the sonnenCore+ and sonnenEvo) and runs the sonnenVPP program, with programs such as ConnectedSolutions in New England. In Texas, sonnen batteries are the hardware for SOLRITE's ERCOT VPP. A May 2025 partnership with Abundance Energy, Energywell and SOLRITE uses sonnen's battery controls to manage each battery 'in response to market prices, customer usage, and solar generation.'

Role in VPPs: Battery maker and VPP control software. In Texas, sonnen batteries in SOLRITE-owned systems form the VPP.

sonnenusa.com

Sunrun

Sunrun calls itself America's largest provider of home battery storage, solar and home-to-grid power plants, with 217,000 home battery systems (Feb 2026). More than 106,000 customers took part in its distributed power plant programs in 2025, five times the roughly 20,000 of the year before, with 416 MW of combined peak output across 17 programs. CalReady, in California, is described as 'the nation's largest residential Distributed Power Plant,' with over 56,000 Californians enrolled. Utilities and grid operators pay Sunrun to run these programs, and Sunrun shares the payments with participants, who earned over $17 million in 2025. In 2025 it also ran the first US residential vehicle-to-grid power plant with BGE in Maryland.

Role in VPPs: Third-party owner and aggregator. It owns or finances customers' solar+battery systems and dispatches them through utility and retailer programs (PG&E, TXU Energy, NRG, Tesla Electric, BGE, Puerto Rico).

sunrun.com

Swell Energy

Swell Energy (founded 2014, California) aggregates customers' solar-plus-storage batteries into utility VPP programs in Hawaii, California and New York. In September 2021 it launched Home Battery Rewards with Hawaiian Electric on O'ahu, Hawai'i Island and Maui, an 80 MW grid-services program. Participants receive a fixed monthly bill payment and 'can opt out anytime with no penalties.' A later funding announcement reported 350 MWh of VPPs using 16,000 battery systems.

Role in VPPs: Aggregator and installer/financier that enrolls customer batteries in utility grid-services contracts.

swellenergy.com

Tesla (Powerwall, Tesla Electric, Tesla VPP)

Powerwall owners can join Tesla VPP programs 'in the Tesla app or through a Tesla partner such as a utility, or certified installer,' with programs in 24+ states. In Texas the programs include Austin Energy, CoServ, Entergy Texas, GVEC and a VPP powered by Tesla Electric, Tesla's retail electricity plan for Tesla EV and Powerwall owners. The Tesla Electric VPP takes part in ERCOT's ADER pilot. Powerwalls are 'dispatched when the grid needs support' within the owner's Backup Reserve setting, and owners get a monthly 'VPP Credit' on their bill. In August 2023, Tesla's two aggregations (CenterPoint/Houston and Oncor/Dallas areas) were the first VPPs in ERCOT's ADER pilot.

Role in VPPs: Battery maker, aggregator and (in Texas) retail electric provider. The homeowner usually owns the Powerwall.

tesla.com/powerwall

VirtuGrid

VirtuGrid is an independent sales partner for the SOLRITE home battery program, serving homeowners in Texas, Illinois and California, with other states on a waitlist.

Role in VPPs: Independent sales partner for the SOLRITE home battery program.

VirtuGrid powers this site.

virtugridusa.com

Voltus

Voltus is a San Francisco-based virtual power plant operator and DER platform that pays energy users to cut or shift electricity use in response to grid signals. It reports 8.5 GW of DERs across 22,000+ sites and more than $500M paid to customers. It works in all nine North American wholesale markets: AESO, CAISO, ERCOT, IESO, ISO-NE, MISO, NYISO, PJM and SPP. Its business centers on commercial and industrial customers.

Role in VPPs: Aggregator that bids customer flexibility into wholesale markets and pays participants.

voltus.co