A “first-of-its-kind” program in Illinois is drawing attention to the momentum of distributed energy resource (DER) systems and utilities' active deployment of them to support grid reliability. Last month, utility provider ComEd received approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission for its proposal to launch a new Scheduled Dispatch Virtual Power Plant (SDVPP) program. It replaces a previous limited virtual power plant (VPP) proposal that ComEd withdrew late last year. A virtual power plant aggregates customer-owned DERs, such as solar, batteries, EVs and smart loads, and uses software to coordinate them as a flexible grid resource. VPPs work alongside utility providers to support and stabilize the broader grid.