Community Power in Action: Designing Equitable Virtual Power Plant Programs

Virtual power plants (VPPs) can play an important role in advancing energy affordability, grid reliability, and resilience for households and community facilities. Realizing these benefits, however, requires meaningful community engagement, local leadership, and policy advocacy. This webinar will feature community-led VPP initiatives in Louisiana, New York, and Puerto Rico. Speakers will share how they are advancing supportive policies, developing solar-plus-storage projects, and working to ensure equitable access and affordability. They will also discuss the challenges and opportunities they’ve encountered in their work and share practical lessons and strategies for communities looking to pursue similar initiatives.  

This Clean Energy Group webinar is a presentation of the VPP Acceleration Initiative. The Initiative helps states, local governments, communities, and financial institutions deploy and scale VPPs—advancing affordability, strengthening resilience and grid reliability, and supporting decarbonization. This initiative is led by Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), Clean Energy Group (CEG), and World Resources Institute (WRI).

Speakers: 

• Logan Atkinson Burke, Executive Director, Alliance for Affordable Energy
• Matthew Shore, Director of Planning and Development, South Bronx Unite
• Zoe Voss Lee, Energy and Economic Justice Advisor, South Bronx Unite, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
• Edgar Oscar Ruiz, Executive Director, Community Through Colors
• Marriele Mango, Senior Project Director, Clean Energy Group (Moderator)