Virtual power plant pilot program; each Phase II Utility shall petition SCC for approval to conduct.

Added explicit restriction that electric utilities cannot own the electric school buses, only the storage batteries, and can only use battery storage when buses are not transporting students.

Changed 'electric utility' definition from just 'Phase II Utility' to 'Phase II Utility as defined in subdivision A 1 of § 56-585.1 of the Code of Virginia' for greater precision.

Changed 'distributed energy resource' definition from 'electrical generating resource' to simply 'resource' to broaden the definition slightly.

Modified 'aggregator' definition to remove the exclusion of 'entities with preexisting contractual relationships with utility affiliates' to potentially allow more entities to participate as aggregators.

Removed the requirement for full subsidization of residential battery storage program costs for qualifying low-income utility customers, changing the approach from fully subsidized to incentive-based.

Added a requirement for a stakeholder process to receive feedback on program design, ensuring broader public input before finalizing program details.

Added authority for the Commission to require competitive solicitation open to both utility-owned and non-utility-owned resources, promoting market competition.

Added smart thermostats to the list of eligible technologies that can enroll in the pilot program alongside battery storage and electric vehicle charging.

Added 'smart thermostat' to the list of eligible technologies in the program tariff development requirements.