Death by a Million PDFs: Confusing and Inaccessible Data Delays Virtual Power Plants

Source: Elisa Wood| · ENERGY CHANGEMAKERS · | March 3, 2024

People tend to think it is the big, sinister acts that slow the energy transition — oil empires disseminating misinformation about electric vehicles or utilities lobbying the government to thwart customer-owned energy.

But less dramatic, even banal acts can cause equal damage. Take for example what virtual power plant (VPP) developers face in trying to access customer data from electric utilities.

The details vary by state, and some utilities perform the task better than others. Still, stories are widespread about how hard it is to gain information about customer energy usage, rate tariffs, or other data necessary to determine cost savings achieved by aggregating customers into virtual power plants.

The scenario plays out something like this. A virtual power plant provider requests data from a utility and weeks go by before it arrives. Then it comes in a poorly formatted electronic spreadsheet or a form that doesn’t allow data manipulation, such as a PDF document or even on paper via fax. Analysts struggle to make sense of what’s before them.

“It creates a lag in your deal development,” said Duncan Campbell, vice president for Scale Microgrid Solutions, which designs, builds, finances, and operates distributed energy assets.

Some utilities offer a solution: Ask customers to download the data since they can access their electricity usage via a utility portal. But that’s not as easy as it sounds. “The customer might have no idea it exists. You try to explain it to them. They’re confused,” Campbell said. Frustrated, they ask the VPP provider to handle the download and offer up their username and password, which can “create a legitimate security issue.”