Emerging Technologies Series: Virtual Power Plant and Southeast Asia

The second publication in the Emerging Technologies Series examines the role of virtual power plants (VPPs) in supporting Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition. As distributed energy resources (DERs) continue to expand across the region, the policy brief outlines how VPPs can coordinate these assets to enhance system reliability, improve cost efficiency, and support accelerated renewable energy integration. The policy brief provides an overview of how VPPs work, their technological outlook and operating models, and current applications in different power systems, as well as the opportunities and risks associated with their deployment in Southeast Asia. It highlights key enabling conditions drawn from international experience, along with practical recommendations for scaling VPPs across the region.