The agreement increases an earlier 100 MW commitment tenfold, using coordinated energy reductions from homes and businesses to support a grid serving 67 million people
Google and Voltus have agreed to develop a 1 GW virtual power plant across the PJM electricity grid, using coordinated adjustments in energy consumption from homes and businesses to support grid reliability.
Google and energy technology company Voltus have agreed to develop a 1-gigawatt (GW) virtual power plant across the PJM electricity grid in the USA, bringing together energy resources from homes and businesses to reduce pressure on the network during periods of high demand.
The agreement increases a previous 100-megawatt (MW) arrangement between the companies tenfold. The project will operate across the PJM grid region, which serves approximately 67 million people in 13 states and Washington, D.C.
Unlike a conventional power station, the virtual power plant will not generate electricity from a single physical facility. Instead, Voltus will coordinate flexible energy resources, including smart thermostats, batteries, commercial cooling systems and industrial equipment, to temporarily reduce electricity consumption when demand on the grid is high.
Google will fund the initiative, while participating businesses and households will receive financial incentives, including bill savings and cash payments, in return for adjusting their energy use.
Virtual power plant will coordinate energy use during peak demand
The project is designed to make additional capacity available on the existing electricity network by coordinating temporary reductions in consumption across participating properties.
Voltus operates a distributed energy resource platform that connects commercial, industrial and other flexible electricity assets to energy markets.
Through the new arrangement, the company will aggregate these resources into a single coordinated network that can respond to grid requirements.
During periods of peak demand, participating assets will temporarily reduce or adjust their electricity consumption, making capacity available elsewhere on the network without requiring equivalent new generating infrastructure.
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Alphabet and Google, commented in a LinkedIn post:
“This approach aggregates small, automated shifts in energy use across thousands of homes and businesses to deploy fast, flexible capacity, providing immediate grid relief during peak demand and lowering energy costs for local communities.”
The agreement is intended to support electricity reliability while offering participating customers a financial benefit for providing flexibility.
The companies have not specified a timetable for completing the 1 GW portfolio or reported how much of the new capacity is already operational.
Google scales earlier 100 MW agreement tenfold
The 1 GW commitment follows a 100 MW agreement announced earlier in 2026, representing a substantial increase in the scale of Google's work with Voltus.
Google describes the arrangement as one of the largest known distributed capacity portfolios undertaken by a technology hyperscaler.
The initiative differs from conventional electricity supply investments because the additional capacity comes from managing when electricity is consumed rather than adding a new generating facility.
Ellen Zuckerman, Google's Head of Energy Market Development for North and South America, highlighted the scale of the agreement in a LinkedIn post, describing the 1 GW portfolio as one of the largest known distributed capacity arrangements deployed by a hyperscaler.
The approach is intended to provide grid operators with a flexible resource that can respond to changing demand while allowing businesses and households to participate directly in electricity markets.
Google and Voltus have not disclosed the total value of the expanded agreement, the number of participating properties or a scheduled date for achieving the full 1 GW capacity.
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