Sunverge, the provider of a distributed energy resource (DER) control, orchestration and aggregation platform, and Delmarva Power, an Exelon Company serving customers in Delaware and Maryland, announced it has entered into an agreement with PJM Interconnection to explore how the Elk Neck Battery Storage Pilot Program will participate in the region’s wholesale market for ancillary services.
The project, a virtual power plant (VPP) with a planned capacity of 550 kW/2.2 MWh, is anticipated to be fully operational by Q1 2022 and has received the necessary regulatory approvals from the Maryland Public Service Commission. The project will be the first battery energy storage residential VPP to participate in PJM’s wholesale market, providing benefits to both consumers and the grid.
“The local energy grid is an incredible interactive platform connecting our customers and communities to the energy services and clean energy choices they want,” said Doug Mokoid, Delmarva Power region president. “This agreement with PJM and Sunverge is a pivotal step in demonstrating just how dynamic the grid has become and our evolving role as a local energy company in integrating new technologies that directly benefit our customers and the broader regional energy system.”
The Elk Neck pilot project will be one of the first energy projects that demonstrates the grid of the future including distributed energy resources operating and competing within federally regulated organized markets, providing an invaluable foundation for the market participation of distributed energy resources going forward.
“The Elk Neck VPP project partnership between Sunverge, Delmarva Power and PJM is an innovative approach that will demonstrate the value of Multi-service VPP’s, not only for consumers and utilities, but for the energy market more broadly,” said Martin Milani, CEO of Sunverge. “The Sunverge platform’s unique ability to simultaneously run multiple services with different priorities allows optimization for different services dynamically, under different grid and market conditions.”