Surging U.S. Electricity Demand Fuels Virtual Power Plant Growth
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1d ago
0mins
Source: Fool
- Surging Electricity Demand: U.S. electricity demand is surging due to electric vehicles, data centers, and extreme temperatures, leading to increased reliance on variable wind and solar power as traditional coal and gas plants retire faster than replacements can be built.
- Rise of Virtual Power Plants: Utilities are deploying Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) that utilize thousands of small energy resources, including smart thermostats and home batteries, to create a cloud-based network that enhances grid flexibility and reliability during peak demand periods.
- National Grid's Growth Potential: National Grid's ConnectedSolutions program, launched in under four months, now boasts 250 megawatts of peak shaving capacity, with a reported underlying profit of £2.29 billion (approximately $3.1 billion), reflecting a 12% year-over-year increase and highlighting its strong performance amid rising energy demands.
- Sunrun's Market Opportunities: As the largest home-to-grid distributed power plant operator in the U.S., Sunrun's stock has surged over 100% in the past year, reporting $725 million in revenue for Q3, a 35% year-over-year increase, and partnering with HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital to finance an additional 300 megawatts of capacity, further solidifying its market position.
Discover Tomorrow's Bullish Stocks Today
Receive free daily stock recommendations and professional analysis to optimize your portfolio's potential.
Sign up now to unlock expert insights and stay one step ahead of the market trends.
Analyst Views on NGG
Wall Street analysts forecast NGG stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for NGG is 85.50 USD with a low forecast of 85.50 USD and a high forecast of 85.50 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
1 Analyst Rating
1 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 84.310
Low
85.50
Averages
85.50
High
85.50
Current: 84.310
Low
85.50
Averages
85.50
High
85.50
About NGG
National Grid plc is a United Kingdom-based energy company. The Company's principal activities involve the transmission and distribution of electricity in Great Britain and of electricity and gas in the northeastern United States. Its segments include UK Electricity Transmission, UK Electricity Distribution, New England, New York and National Grid Ventures. The UK Electricity Transmission segment includes the high-voltage electricity transmission networks in England and Wales. The UK Electricity Distribution segment includes electricity distribution networks of NGED in the East Midlands, West Midlands and South West of England and South Wales. The New England segment includes electricity distribution networks, high-voltage electricity transmission networks and gas distribution networks in New England. The New York segment includes electricity distribution networks, high-voltage electricity transmission networks and gas distribution networks in New York.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Surging U.S. Electricity Demand Fuels Virtual Power Plant Growth
- Surging Electricity Demand: U.S. electricity demand is surging due to electric vehicles, data centers, and extreme temperatures, leading to increased reliance on variable wind and solar power as traditional coal and gas plants retire faster than replacements can be built.
- Rise of Virtual Power Plants: Utilities are deploying Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) that utilize thousands of small energy resources, including smart thermostats and home batteries, to create a cloud-based network that enhances grid flexibility and reliability during peak demand periods.
- National Grid's Growth Potential: National Grid's ConnectedSolutions program, launched in under four months, now boasts 250 megawatts of peak shaving capacity, with a reported underlying profit of £2.29 billion (approximately $3.1 billion), reflecting a 12% year-over-year increase and highlighting its strong performance amid rising energy demands.
- Sunrun's Market Opportunities: As the largest home-to-grid distributed power plant operator in the U.S., Sunrun's stock has surged over 100% in the past year, reporting $725 million in revenue for Q3, a 35% year-over-year increase, and partnering with HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital to finance an additional 300 megawatts of capacity, further solidifying its market position.
Continue Reading
National Grid and Sunrun's Virtual Power Plant Advantages
- Surging Market Demand: U.S. electricity demand is soaring due to electric vehicles, data centers, and extreme temperatures, prompting utilities to adopt virtual power plants (VPPs) to ensure grid stability as traditional coal and gas plants retire rapidly.
- National Grid's Performance Growth: National Grid's stock has risen nearly 40% over the past year, reporting an underlying profit of £2.29 billion, up 12% year-over-year in its half-year report, reflecting successful implementation in the VPP sector amid strong market demand.
- Sunrun's Expansion Plans: As the largest home-to-grid distributed power plant operator in the U.S., Sunrun has enrolled 106,000 customers in 17 VPP programs and collaborated with three utilities to provide a 500-megawatt VPP, aimed at preventing rolling blackouts during peak times.
- Future Investment Potential: With solar power's share in the U.S. rising from 1% to 8% over the past 15 years, Sunrun's partnership with HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital is expected to finance an additional 300 megawatts of capacity, further solidifying its market position and driving future growth.
Continue Reading