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Energy market operator monitoring multiple screens in a Virtual Power Plant control room

Virtual Power Plant

Unlock new revenue from your energy assets.
Access more energy markets and optimise value through our VPP.

What is a Virtual Power Plant?

A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) connects flexible energy assets - including battery storage, flexible demand, on-site generation and EV charging - into a single, coordinated resource, enabling businesses to access energy markets and unlock new revenue.

 

Rather than just relying on physical power stations, the grid can call on this collective flexibility to help balance supply and demand in real time. 


Enel X identifies electricity use that can be turned down, paused, or traded. In return, participating businesses lower electricity costs, generate new revenue, and play an active role in supporting a more resilient energy system.

A new revenue stream

Turn flexibility in your electricity consumption into a recurring income stream. No capital outlay, no disruption.

Intelligent market access

We'll help enrol your assets into the right flexibility programmes at the right times, maximising value across multiple markets.

24/7 operations centre

Our Dublin-based Network Operations Centre monitors energy markets in real time and manages every dispatch, day and night, 365 days a year.

Making VPP participation simple and valuable

Who is it for?

If your site has battery storage, CHP, onsite generation, or flexible energy demand, you can participate in our Virtual Power Plant.

Managed for you

We handle market access and optimisation on your behalf. Each site is assessed individually to ensure participation aligns with your operations, with full visibility and control over how your assets are used.

Proven at scale

Our Virtual Power Plant already connects more than 10 GW of flexible capacity across 8,000+ sites in 14 countries.

 

When you join, you benefit from established market access, proven optimisation, and the scale of a global network.

Selection of Carlsberg Britvic beverage bottles, cans and branded glasses

Carlsberg Britvic VPP Case Study

Carlsberg Britvic VPP Case Study

This case study explores how collaboration between industry, energy aggregators and policymakers is reshaping the electricity landscape.

Case study Capacity Market Virtual Power Plant VPP
Isometric illustration of businesses and energy assets connected in a virtual power plant

It pays to be in our VPP

It pays to be in our VPP

Unlock value from your flexible energy assets through Enel X’s Virtual Power Plant.

Battery Storage Demand Side Response Energy Flexibility Virtual Power Plant VPP Brochure
Large outdoor battery energy storage system in an industrial setting

Optimisation for your BESS

Optimisation for your BESS

Unlock more value from your battery energy storage system through Enel X’s Virtual Power Plant.

Battery Storage Demand Response Virtual Power Plant VPP Brochure

It pays to be in our VPP!

How our VPP works

  1. We assess your site
    We identify which assets and processes can provide flexibility, from battery storage and onsite generation to large energy loads.

  2. We connect you to the right markets
    Your available capacity is placed into the most valuable programmes, from long-term agreements to real-time trading opportunities.

  3. We optimise continuously
    Our platform ensures your assets are in the right market at the right time, maximising value across multiple programmes, not just one.

  4. We manage delivery
    When an event occurs, we coordinate the response with you in advance, ensuring it aligns with your operational constraints.

  5. You earn revenue
    You’re paid for availability, for reducing consumption when needed, and for accessing energy markets when conditions are favourable.

Illustration of connected buildings, solar panels, battery storage and energy assets within a Virtual Power Plant

Your assets. Your terms.

How you participate is entirely up to you. 

Any of the following assets can earn revenue through our VPP:

 

  • Battery storage (BESS) — access multiple revenue opportunities through intelligent market participation.
  • CHP and onsite generation — earn additional value while continuing to support onsite processes.
  • Flexible demand — unlock rewards by temporarily reducing or shifting consumption when appropriate.

 

Participation is independent of your electricity supplier. If you're happy with how you buy power today, you don't need to change a thing.

 

Virtual Power Plant diagram connecting battery storage, onsite generation, flexible demand and energy market services

Explore your revenue potential in our VPP

Connect with our team to assess your assets and identify where and how they can generate value across energy markets.

Frequently asked questions

What is a virtual power plant (VPP)?

A virtual power plant (VPP) is a network of businesses and their flexible energy assets, such as batteries, CHP, backup generation and flexible demand, coordinated as a single resource for the electricity system. Instead of building new power stations, a VPP delivers the same stabilising effect by briefly adjusting how connected sites use or export energy.

How does a virtual power plant work?

Enel X identifies processes and assets at each site that can be briefly turned down, paused or powered by on-site generation without disrupting operations. When the grid needs support, these adjustments are coordinated across the whole VPP network, delivering capacity comparable to a physical power station. Enel X manages market participation, dispatch and settlement on your behalf.

How do businesses get paid through a virtual power plant?

Businesses are paid based on the flexible capacity, in MW, that they commit to energy markets through the VPP. Depending on the asset and programme, revenue can come from programmes such as Ireland's Capacity Remuneration Mechanism or DS3 system services. Enel X enrols each site in the most suitable programmes and manages participation end to end.

Does joining a VPP cost anything?

No capital investment is required to join the Enel X VPP. There is no software to buy and no change of energy supplier. Enel X assesses your site, manages enrolment and market participation, and you earn revenue from assets and flexibility you already have.

Will participating in a VPP disrupt my operations?

Each site is assessed individually to ensure the best commercial fit and minimal operational impact. Only processes that can be safely adjusted are enrolled, and your operational priorities are non-negotiable. You choose between manual participation by your local team or remote management from Enel X's Network Operations Centre in Dublin, and you remain in full control at all times.

Is my business too small to join a virtual power plant?

Smaller sites and loads can be aggregated across locations to meet our minimum thresholds, so you don't need power-station scale to participate. If your site has flexible processes, backup generation, CHP or battery storage, it is worth an assessment. Enel X evaluates each site individually at no cost.

What assets can participate in a virtual power plant?

Battery storage (BESS), CHP and onsite generation, backup generation, and flexible demand can all participate. Everyday equipment such as HVAC systems, compressors, refrigeration and heat-intensive processes can often be briefly curtailed with minimal disruption. Enel X assesses which of your assets qualify and enrols them in the most suitable flexibility programmes.

Do I keep control of my equipment in a VPP?

Yes. You set the operational constraints and your primary business processes always take priority. Participation can be managed manually by your own team or remotely by Enel X's Network Operations Centre in Dublin, and you receive advance warning ahead of grid emergency events, giving you time to prepare before any action is needed.
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