The mission of the California Energy Commission (CEC) focuses on leading the state to a 100% clean energy future. As the state's primary energy policy and planning agency, the CEC is committed to reducing energy costs and environmental impacts of energy use while ensuring a safe, resilient, and reliable supply of energy.
This solicitation focuses on funding demonstrations of community-based virtual power plant (VPP) approaches and energy management systems (EMS) in commercial buildings to enhance demand flexibility. It aims to align electricity consumption with grid conditions through strategies such as demand response and load shifting, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving California's clean energy goals. The program seeks to increase consumer awareness and reduce implementation costs for demand flexibility, promote the deployment of predictive controls for automated flexibility, and demonstrate interoperability best practices. The initiative underscores the potential of distributed energy resources, like smart thermostats and solar panels, controlled by software to support the power system, benefit consumers, and offer environmental advantages by leveraging advanced technologies and business models for better grid reliability and decarbonization efforts.