Xcel Energy to Deploy Advanced Virtual Power Plant in Colorado with Itron and Tesla

Integration of Itron's IntelliFLEX Aggregator DERMS Solution and Tesla Home Batteries Drives Grid Flexibility, Visibility and Control

LIBERTY LAKE, Wash., March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating new ways for energy providers and cities to manage energy and water, is collaborating with Tesla Inc. to deploy an advanced virtual power plant (VPP) in Colorado in collaboration with Xcel Energy. The collaboration is part of a new effort in Itron’s ongoing work with Xcel Energy to manage the growing number of distributed energy resources (DERs) with Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence (GEI) solutions. This initiative enables Xcel Energy to enhance the management of DERs and the value they provide for customers.

Itron’s IntelliFLEX Aggregator Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) solution, which is a part of Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio and powered by distributed intelligence, enables energy providers to aggregate and localize management of DERs. Using this solution, the energy provider can efficiently enlist residential battery storage, solar panels, EV chargers, smart thermostats and other DERs to better balance power at the edge of the grid. Proven at scale, Itron’s IntelliFLEX solution helps to manage 3 million DER devices for 30 utilities across the U.S.

Itron will directly integrate its IntelliFLEX solution with Tesla’s battery storage platform, helping provide grid benefits in real-time using power from solar stored on Tesla Powerwall home batteries. This collaboration will expand Xcel Energy’s VPP program, Renewable Battery Connect, increasing the number of batteries that can be dispatched when needed and helping Xcel Energy meet its electrification goals more quickly. The program allows Xcel Energy to manage customers’ batteries during periods of peak energy demand to help stabilize the electric grid.

Colorado enjoys over 300 sunny days per year, making the state an ideal candidate for solar energy and battery storage, and it was one of the first states in the U.S. to have a Renewable Energy Standard. Xcel Energy’s Renewable Battery Connect program is supported by residential participants’ home batteries during periods of peak energy demand, dispatching stored power to the grid and reducing peak demand. The Renewable Battery Connect program is a first-of-its-kind model in Colorado and integrates aggregator DERMS solutions and battery storage from Itron and Tesla, respectively. With an advanced VPP, DERs, such as solar panels or battery storage, can be controlled together through an aggregator DERMS platform to act as one “virtual” power plant and provide power to the grid during times of high-peak energy demand.