A newly formed partnership among some of North America’s largest virtual power plant (VPP) platform and utility providers is launching a collective expansion into the residential vehicle-to-grid (V2G) sector in Massachusetts to enhance grid reliability and affordability. The existing program, managed by utility provider National Grid, aggregates energy from connected distributed energy resources (DERs) such as smart thermostats, energy storage and industrial equipment to reduce grid strain during peak demand periods. “ConnectedSolutions is an important part of our strategy to deliver safe, reliable and affordable service,” said David Roman Ubeda, senior program manager at National Grid, in a statement. “V2G may provide additional opportunities to customers in support of managing their energy bills while advancing long-term sustainability across Massachusetts.” While standard charging pulls energy from the grid for an EV, V2G systems branch from a larger industry "vehicle-to-everything" concept.