Statkraft Looks to Virtual Power Plants as Renewable Energy Demand Surges

The Norwegian hydro giant Statkraft is looking to a virtual power plant model for expansion across Europe. This month the company confirmed plans for 2 gigawatts of VPP capacity in the U.K. later this year, alongside 12 gigawatts in Germany. State-owned Statkraft said it already manages more than 1 gigawatt of U.K. VPP capacity, made up of wind and solar power along with battery storage and flexible gas engines. Duncan Dale, vice president of sales and new products for Statkraft in the U.K., said the VPP model would be important in helping to optimize power trading in the British energy market as the proportion of intermittent renewables increases on the grid.