Hampshire, UK – 9th September 2025: A new study by global tech strategists Juniper Research has found that smart grids will underpin over 40% of global electricity distribution by 2030; growing from less than 25% in 2024. It identified virtual power plants (VPPs) as a key driver of growth over the next five years. VPPs provide decentralised energy supply from multiple smaller sources, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage systems, rather than a single larger source.
An extract from the report, Smart Grid Market 2025-2030, is available as a free download.
By decentralising energy distribution, VPPs provide more stability in smart grids. “VPPs will help balance supply and demand in real-time and make energy supply much more resilient to rapid changes in demand. This will become key as the global demand for energy increases,” explains Adam Wears, Associate Research Analyst at Juniper Research.
Interoperability Key to Increased Adoption
To maximise the impact of VPPs, Juniper Research believes that vendors must develop interoperable platforms that orchestrate decentralised VPPs in real-time to foster interoperability between energy sources. This will enable VPPs to overcome the cost of integrating a diverse range of market participants into an ecosystem that require a substantial number of energy providers. In addition, Juniper Research urges the development of standard protocols for data sharing, real-time visibility, and settlement, if adoption is to grow.
“To fully capture the benefits of wide-scale decentralisation, vendors must think beyond integration. VPPs must attract small-scale energy providers by introducing pricing models, such as time-of-use tariffs, real-time pricing, and capacity-based payments.” Wears concluded.
The new research suite offers the most comprehensive assessment of the Smart Grid market to date, including insightful market analysis and in-depth forecasts for 61 countries. The dataset contains over 21,000 market statistics within a five-year period. It includes a ‘Competitor Leaderboard’ and an examination of current and future market opportunities.
About Juniper Research
Juniper Research is a global tech strategist firm providing research, data, and forecasting across the fintech, telecoms, and IoT sectors. For over 20 years, it has delivered actionable insights that help industry leaders navigate disruption, seize opportunities, and make confident strategic decisions. www.juniperresearch.com
For further details, please contact Sam Smith, Press Relations
E: sam.smith@juniperresearch.com
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