We’ve Got the (Distributed) Power: How Community Power Networks Can Transform the West
The West is known for a few things: diverse natural landscapes, outdoor lifestyle, and plenty of sunshine.
But sunshine isn’t just part of the West’s identity—it’s becoming an increasingly important part of how we power our communities.
Across the West, communities are already generating, storing, and managing energy in new ways. Rooftop solar panels, home batteries, smart thermostats, and electric vehicles are all resources that already exist in our communities. When connected and coordinated, these technologies can strengthen the grid, lower energy costs, and accelerate the transition to clean energy.
That’s where Community Power Networks come in. Community Power Networks (you might hear experts call them virtual power plants) connect local energy resources like solar panels and smart thermostats into coordinated networks that can support the energy grid when it’s needed most.
The West has the resources needed to champion Community Power Networks, but this smart energy solution has been slow to implement.
California has demonstrated what’s possible. In 2022, California launched its Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) program, one of the nation’s most successful virtual power plant initiatives, achieving more than one gigawatt of available capacity (that’s equivalent to powering roughly one million homes!).
Despite that success, the program now faces an uncertain future. Funding has been reduced to $109.5 million of the $314 million originally authorized, and DSGS was not included in the state’s 2025–26 budget. Without legislative action, funding is expected to run out by the end of 2026.
What’s slowing progress isn’t a lack of solutions—it’s a lack of awareness and political momentum. That’s why our on-the-ground campaign work is more important than ever.
In Arizona, we’ve advocated for distributed energy solutions like community power networks and intervened in Arizona Public Service (APS)’s rate case to fight back against the proposal to increase residential rates by 15%, and protect solar customers from the discriminatory “Grid Access Charge” (GAC).
With no legislative session in Nevada this year, we’ve been laying the groundwork for what comes next. Over the past several months, we’ve been strengthening relationships, educating lawmakers and stakeholders, and advancing Community Power Networks as a framework to scale distributed energy resources. This sets us up to pursue legislative action to fast track VPP deployment in 2027.
While we continue working to remove policy barriers and advocate for supportive legislation, public education remains one of the most powerful tools for advancing Community Power Networks. Unfortunately, opponents of clean energy often have significant resources and well-established messaging campaigns.
That’s why your voice matters.
Community Power Networks help communities make better use of the energy resources they already have. They can lower costs, improve reliability, strengthen local resilience, and accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy future.
If you believe in a more affordable, reliable, and community-powered clean energy system, help spread the word. Share this blog and help build support for Community Power Networks.