Virtual power plant

Electricity generation and consumption need to be in balance every single second so that the lights stay on for everyone. The increase in wind and solar power production results in less predictable and manageable energy production. If we are to increase renewable energy generation and advance the green transition, we need reserve capacity for balancing the grid – and using the backup batteries in Elisa’s mobile base stations is one solution for this.

Based on calculated carbon dioxide emissions, Elisa’s DES virtual power plant reduces the carbon emissions from electricity production in Finland by over 20,000 tonnes a year thanks to the reduced need for fossil fuel power to cope with peaks in electricity consumption.

Elisa has received a permit from Fingrid, the Finnish national electricity transmission system operator, to use the backup batteries in its base stations in the grid balancing market in Finland – the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world. Elisa’s DES virtual power plant provides a critical source of supply for the Finnish power grid that can be used when there are disturbances in production or during peaks in demand, thereby improving the resilience of the grid in crisis situations.