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Senate hearing spotlights virtual power plants; proponents tout scale, utilities warn of duplication and costs
Summary
Supporters told the Senate Energy and Environment Committee that SB 15 82 would expand community‑based virtual power plants and allow third‑party aggregators; utilities and some industry groups warned the bill could duplicate PUC work, raise costs or create safety and performance risks.
Senate Bill 15 82 — a bill to require electric companies to establish distributed power‑plant programs that compensate customer‑owned resources for grid services — drew extensive testimony on Feb. 9 in the Senate Energy and Environment Committee.
Sponsor Senator Courtney Naron Mislan described the bill as a way to assemble rooftop solar, batteries, electric vehicles and smart thermostats into community‑scale “virtual power plants” (VPPs). The dash‑2 amendment directs the Public Utility Commission to create aggregator standards and customer data protections, allows utilities to act as aggregators alongside third parties, and sets program filing and reporting requirements intended to scale up VPPs across Oregon.
Proponents — including Solar United Neighbors, MCAT, Oregon Environmental Council, Sustainable Northwest and local government representatives — said VPPs can be deployed faster than new transmission to shave peak demand, improve resilience and lower costs. Shannon Anderson of Solar United Neighbors cited Wood Mackenzie and OM Analytics data, saying a growing share of home solar installs include batteries and that Oregon’s residential storage market is expanding rapidly.
Portland General Electric’s Franco Albee told the committee PGE supports the intent but opposes the statutory approach in the amendment. He testified that PGE already operates a large VPP (230,000 customers; roughly 25% of its base, which he said equates to about 600 megawatts of equivalent capacity), has dispatched VPP resources more than 1,100 times between 2021 and 2024, and worries that the bill’s statutory requirements could duplicate existing PUC planning, disconnect compensation from performance, and increase costs for customers.
Other opponents raised concerns about cost‑shifts, safety, and mandatory participation targets that could penalize utilities for nonperformance of voluntary customer programs. Supporters countered the bill allows utilities to retain existing programs while enabling third‑party aggregators to bring scale and broader customer participation.
Committee members asked about current utility programs, statutory barriers to third‑party aggregators and the proper PUC role in setting technical and safety standards. Staff noted the dash‑2 amendment provides the PUC rulemaking authority for aggregator standards and consumer protections. The public hearing on SB 15 82 was closed; the committee did not take a final vote on the underlying policy during this session.
Next steps: the bill will proceed through the legislative process and any legislative text or fiscal notes on OLIS should be consulted for the official bill language and deadlines, including PUC program‑filing dates referenced in testimony.
