Today, Google and Voltus announced a three-year agreement to unlock up to 100 megawatts (MW) of new electricity capacity from flexible distributed energy resources in the PJM grid region, which serves 67 million people in the United States.

Under the agreement, Voltus will orchestrate flexible distributed resources — such as batteries and smart thermostats — to reduce energy demand when the grid needs it, paying the local homes and businesses who participate. This enables new capacity for the system, channels investment into local communities, and strengthens the grids that serve our data centers.

Research shows that U.S. consumers could save more than $100 billion over the next decade through these types of smart solutions. By piloting and scaling new models to better utilize the grid, from data center demand response to this agreement with Voltus, we’re working toward a more robust, clean, and affordable energy system.