National Grid Built Marketplace for Virtual Power Plants: Jobs Exploding Now

Last episode I told you Google’s parent company paid billions for Intersect Power. This time I have another data point, and it’s arguably more exciting, because it isn’t a tech giant making a bet. It’s National Grid, one of the slowest-moving institutions in American business, doing something it has never done before: building an open marketplace where hundreds of companies compete to solve grid constraints using rooftop solar, home batteries, EVs, and smart thermostats. I’ll explain the problem National Grid is solving across 23 constrained locations in Massachusetts, and why activating distributed resources beats pouring concrete and hanging copper. Then I’ll show you how the marketplace works, from portfolio bidding that lets a one-megawatt company compete to the dispatch testing that auditions providers before they get paid. I’ll zoom out to the booming virtual power plant ecosystem, including the aggregators, hardware makers, and software platforms making it run. And I’ll share the numbers that prove the economics: a VPP can cost less than half as much as a new gas plant, and one Sunrun dispatch event delivered 340 megawatts from people’s rooftops in a single evening. This infrastructure is being built right now, and the ecosystem around it is hiring. **In this episode:** - Why Alphabet’s acquisition of Intersect Power signals that renewable energy entrepreneurship has moved from the fringe to the center - National Grid’s new marketplace, built with Piclo, for procuring grid flexibility from distributed energy resources - The problem it solves: 23 constrained locations in Massachusetts, and why activating neighborhood batteries and flexible loads beats building new substations - How the marketplace works: utilities post needs, companies bid, and portfolio bidding lets small players participate - The dispatch testing process, and how providers can stack revenue across multiple programs - Piclo’s rapid US expansion, and the broader virtual power plant market - The key players: aggregators like Voltus, Leap, and Enel X, platforms like Virtual Peaker, and hardware makers like Sonnen - Why VPPs are winning on cost, and how Sunrun delivered 340 MW during a June 2025 New England heat wave - Why the ecosystem around this marketplace is hiring **Take Action:** - Book a Free 30-Minute Industry Analysis Call (map the companies, programs, and opportunities in your region): https://calendly.com/solarpunkpro/30-min-chat **Connect:** Website: https://www.solarpunkpro.com/quick-links Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/manzerj Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SolarPunkPro/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@solarpunkpro **ABOUT SOLARPUNKPRO:** This podcast breaks down how the clean energy transition actually works: the economics, the opportunities, and the skills that matter. If you're looking to build a career in the fastest-growing sector of the global economy, you're in the right place. New episodes weekly. *Host: James Manzer*