Who will capture the market for virtual power plants? Competitive distributed energy companies or utilities? Or is there room for both?
Independent developers and advocacy groups fear that, if approved, the Minnesota program will create a model that other utilities nationwide may follow, undercutting competition in the distributed energy market.
Unlike programs under which the utility procures and owns distributed energy resources — such as Xcel’s Minnesota program — Xcel’s Colorado pilot avoids utility spending that would be passed through to electricity rates.
Jigar Shah explains why he supports the Xcel Minnesota virtual power plant program in an Energy Changemakers Podcast.
Distributed energy companies are shapeshifting as changing rules and growing markets create new opportunities.
In a recent UC Berkeley paper, Keith Taylor proposes a form of local energy ownership beyond individual household solar.
The energy abundance agenda carries appeal. But achieving it on the complex electric grid will take more than just building more stuff.
Here is a list of the most popular articles and podcasts that ran on the Energy Changemakers platforms in 2025.
Energy supply shortages, utility rates, consumer concerns and tech trends conspire to make 2026 a big year for distributed energy.
Interested in learning more about the decentralized grid? Check out the Energy Changemakers community.