Vermont's Home Batteries Now Its Largest Power Source
Original: Vermont replacing power plants with home batteries
Why This Matters
Virtual power plants could supply 20% of US peak demand by 2030, reshaping utility economics.
Vermont utility Green Mountain Power has enrolled 5,500+ homes in a virtual power plant program, leasing two home batteries per household for $55/month over 10 years. The aggregated system has become Vermont's single largest power source, while the US holds over 40GW of total virtual power plant capacity nationally.
Vermont's largest utility, Green Mountain Power (GMP), has built a virtual power plant by distributing home battery systems across more than 5,500 residential customers. Each participant leases two batteries for $55 per month on a 10-year agreement — a compelling pitch against the $12,000 cost of a gas generator. For residents like Pollyanna Bladyka of Springfield, who used to lose power a dozen times a year, the switch has meant zero outages since installation in 2024.
Collectively, these household units now constitute Vermont's largest single power source. The model works by aggregating distributed battery capacity so the utility can dispatch stored energy during peak demand or grid stress — mimicking what a traditional power plant does, without the plant.
The numbers nationally are still modest but growing fast. The US currently holds over 40GW of virtual power plant capacity, per Wood Mackenzie analysis, against roughly 600GW of natural gas and 200GW of coal. A 2025 Department of Energy report projects that figure could reach 160GW by 2030 — around 20% of expected peak national demand. Vermont is watching to see how far this distributed, largely invisible model of generation can scale.