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INTERNET OF THINGS I f you enter the words "power plant" on Google or any other online search engine, then the chances are you will be inundated with images of large concrete buildings, with enormous chimneys billowing smoke. But the days of the traditional power plant could be numbered. Leaving aside the fate of the UK's remaining coal stations, which are all due to close by next year, the introduction of multiple renewable assets on to the grid and the prospect of more electric vehicles (EVs) hitting our roads, has meant many people in the sector are now looking at whether virtual power plants (VPPs) are the future of energy generation. VPPs or micro-grids are currently being trialled in a number of parts of the world, including the UK. In some cases, they are being developed to offer smart balancing services to the grid, while others are focused more on allowing peer-to-peer trading on a localised scale through blockchain or distributed ledgers. There are a number of these systems, including Solo Energy's peer-to-peer energy trading platform known as FlexiGrid (pic - tured), which enables hosts to share excess local generation quickly and easily across the grid. Last month (May), Centrica Business So- lutions revealed it has installed batteries in 100 homes across Cornwall as part of a £19 million Local Energy Market (LEM) trial. The energy in these batteries will be ag - gregated and controlled remotely to provide a single block of power and flexibility to the local grid, making it the largest working example of a domestic VPP in the UK. Rachel Bray, a research fellow at the University of Exeter, which has worked with Centrica on the Cornwall LEM says it is the first project of its kind in this country to include both business and domestic home - owners within market trials. "However, as we move further towards a decarbonised, decentralised and digitised electricity system we are likely to see many more LEM-type projects occurring over the next few years to help overcome congestion and system balancing issues on the local distribution networks," says Bray. "Local distributed generation could be ex- ploited to establish a more efficient, cleaner NETWORK / 18 / JUNE 2019 Stepping inside the world of virtual power plants As the grid transitions to low-carbon energy sources, internet-based applications, like virtual power plants are being used to offer balancing, flexibility services and peer-to-peer trading. Jamie Hailstone spoke to some of the key figures involved with current trials to find out more.