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Marbletown presenter asks Ulster County to back ‘grid of the future’ comments to expand virtual power plants
Summary
Tom Conrad of Marbletown asked the county to file supporting comments in a New York Public Service Commission exploratory docket to enable virtual power plants (VPPs) — networks of home batteries, EV chargers and smart thermostats that can reduce peak demand, lower bills and pay participants.
Tom Conrad, representing Marbletown, urged the Ulster County Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee to submit supporting comments in the state Public Service Commission’s exploratory “grid of the future” docket, arguing the rulemaking could unlock distributed energy resources known as virtual power plants (VPPs).
Conrad explained that VPPs use software to aggregate many small devices — home batteries, thermostats, water heaters and EV chargers — so they can be dispatched together to reduce peak demand instead of building new large peaker plants or utility‑scale batteries. “You get paid to participate if you are part of that resource,” Conrad said, and participants can receive payments while the wider rate base benefits from lower system costs.
He outlined three primary regulatory requests he included in Marbletown’s filing: require a benefit‑cost analysis for distribution investments before building new poles or wires; establish a uniform “bring your own device” tariff so VPPs can scale across utilities; and allow community choice aggregators (CCAs) and energy service companies (ESCOs) to operate VPPs. Conrad said the filing was submitted recently and he would share the 14‑page comment with committee members for review.
During questions, legislators pressed on consumer protections, cybersecurity and how many participants would be needed for meaningful grid relief. Conrad repeatedly emphasized the opt‑in nature of the programs: participation is voluntary and can scale over time. He said PSC staff expected to publish a plan on October 30 and asked the county to file timely comments to influence the outcome.
The committee asked Conrad to circulate his filing to staff and members; Conrad agreed to send the document to the committee’s legislative staff for distribution.
