Google and Voltus sign gigawatt-scale VPP agreement in PJM region
Distributed energy resource platform Voltus and tech giant Google have announced a new, expanded agreement to build a virtual power plant (VPP) in the PJM grid region.
The expanded “Bring Your Own Capacity” framework will build a 1 GW VPP asset, unlocking new capacity and delivering bill savings for customers across PJM. Located in the Northeast and lower Midwest, the PJM grid region serves about 67 million customers across 13 states, plus Washington, D.C.
The newly expanded deal adds onto Google’s original agreement with Voltus, signed in June 2026. The new announcement of about 1.07 GW of VPP capacity “represents one of the largest known distributed capacity portfolios deployed by a hyperscaler to date,” Voltus representatives say.
“Distributed energy resources are powerful tools for managing a modern, reliable grid while keeping energy affordable,” says Ellen Zuckerman, Google’s head of energy market development for North and South America. “Expanding our initial commitment tenfold demonstrates our core effort to actively bring our own capacity to the grids that serve us.
“Procuring this capacity through a gigawatt-scale virtual power plant ensures Google’s operations in PJM support regional reliability and deliver direct economic benefits to local communities.”
Aggregation across PJM
The new agreement will follow relatively the same framework as the first between Google and Voltus, according to officials.
The San Francisco-based energy platform will aggregate new energy capacity from groups of local businesses and homes, giving itself the option to redirect that energy into a Google-funded VPP. From there, Voltus will be able to signal those sites — including batteries, thermostats, and other flexible assets — to turn on, when the grid is under strain.
The difference in the expanded agreement is just how much Voltus can potentially control, the company says. A recent report from research firm The Brattle Group predicts that American consumers could save upwards of $100 million over the next decade through VPP technology and other grid utilization improvements.
Those financial benefits for PJM customers, including bill savings and direct payments, can turn Google’s capacity demands into real economic boosts.
“This significant expansion of our work with Google translates data center growth into direct economic benefits for businesses and homes,” says Voltus CEO Dana Guernsey. “Through this partnership we are proud to bring much needed clean capacity online, at gigawatt scale.”
