Arizona Public Service's Virtual Power Plant | Grid Mod Pod Ep. 75 with Kerri Carnes

Arizona Public Service's Virtual Power Plant | Grid Mod Pod Ep. 75 with Kerri Carnes

by AEIC

Applied Sciences & Engineering Energy THEnergy technology and engineeringTHYEnergy, power generation, distribution and storage
🎙 AEIC 👥 981 📅 March 10, 2026 ⏱ 33 min 👁 693 📄 expert opinion 🧭 2026-08-16
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

VPPdemand responsesmart thermostatgrid flexibilitycustomer experience

Summary

In this episode of the Grid Mod Pod, host Dr. Elizabeth Cook interviews Kerri Carnes, Director of Customer Solutions at Arizona Public Service (APS), about the utility’s award-winning virtual power plant (VPP) initiative. Carnes explains that APS launched its VPP to address growing summer peak demand, which doubles compared to other seasons. The core of the program is the Cool Rewards smart thermostat program, launched in 2018, which has scaled to 160 megawatts by 2025. A key enabler was the APS Marketplace, launched in 2020, which pre-enrolls thermostats in the program, leading to a hockey-stick adoption curve. The VPP’s value was demonstrated during a monsoon storm in 2024, when APS targeted 2,600 thermostats on affected feeders to keep customers in power during a 4-day outage. Carnes emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision-making, supported by a dedicated digital transformation team, and the need to design programs with customer experience in mind. She also discusses the organizational structure that integrates IT and operations, and the company’s goal to scale the VPP to 1 gigawatt by 2033. The episode concludes with key takeaways for utility leaders, including persistence, partnership, and learning from failure.

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Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The podcast provides valuable insights into the practical implementation of a virtual power plant, offering specific details on program design, scaling, and real-world impact. The argumentation is solid, grounded in the speaker’s direct experience and supported by concrete examples such as the monsoon storm response. However, the discussion is largely anecdotal and promotional, lacking critical analysis or independent data. The value lies in the practical lessons shared, such as the importance of data tools, organizational alignment, and customer-centric design, which are useful for utility professionals.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The scientific rigor is moderate; the content is based on expert opinion and case study rather than peer-reviewed research. The sources cited are limited to the AEIC website and podcast platforms, which are organizational rather than academic. The title accurately reflects the content, focusing on APS’s VPP and the interview with Kerri Carnes. No comments were provided, so public reception is not analyzed.

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Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content, which focuses on APS's VPP initiative and includes an interview with Kerri Carnes.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The podcast features an industry expert discussing a real, award-winning VPP program with specific data points (e.g., 160 MW, 1 GW goal) and a concrete case study (monsoon storm response). However, it is primarily anecdotal and promotional, lacking independent verification or detailed technical analysis.

Chapters

Cited Sources

Concurring Sources

  • AEIC Official Website — The podcast is produced by AEIC, which aligns with the content's focus on utility industry collaboration.

Contribution & Novelties

This episode offers a unique insider perspective on how a major utility successfully scaled a virtual power plant, highlighting the importance of customer experience, data-driven decision-making, and organizational collaboration. It provides a concrete case study of using VPP for grid resilience during a storm, which is a valuable example for other utilities.

Pour aller plus loin :

90 words

Radar Profile

The radar profile shows balanced scores across all dimensions, indicating a well-rounded but not exceptional content. The highest scores are in information quantity and quality, while technical depth and reliability are slightly lower, reflecting the podcast's practical but non-technical nature.

Reliability 7/10