These units, known as Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), include solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage systems, and even electric vehicles. . With the increasing deployment of energy storage in various scenarios of the power system, new participants and control methods are provided for virtual power plants, enhancing the performance of virtual power plants in response speed, regulation accuracy, and capacity reliability, making them more. . Virtual power plants (VPPs) are every bit as real as conventional generation resources. Essentially collections of distributed battery storage units and other controllable devices, VPPs also can be built quickly and cost effectively—key attributes today given the recent uptick in electricity demand. . By orchestrating EVs, batteries, and smart home devices, VPPs can help make the grid cleaner and more efficient. MIT Technology Review Explains: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what's coming next. You can read more from the series here. These changes create opportunities and challenges for the future, but one grid innovation is providing a model for how the next era of grid stability and affordability. . Historically, home energy storage systems were primarily used as backup power during grid outages and often remained idle. However, if these storage devices can be fully utilized to provide grid services, they could demonstrate significant potential. By implementing centralized control and. . A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is an innovative network that connects various small-scale, decentralized power generating units, flexible power consumers, and storage systems.