Virtual power plant (VPP) platform profile
Itron IntelliFLEX: building VPPs from the meter out
How a smart-meter maker’s grid-edge DERMS gives utilities local control of batteries, EVs and solar, with Xcel Energy’s Colorado program as the example.
VPP Economics has no affiliation with, sponsorship from, or endorsement by any utility, aggregator, platform, or device maker named here.
The short answer
- Itron builds VPPs from the meter outward. The smart-meter maker’s IntelliFLEX software is a grid-edge DERMS that uses meter data and on-meter computing to see and control customer devices (Itron).
- It is a utility tool first. IntelliFLEX dispatched more than 70 GWh of flexible customer load and generation in 2025 and manages solar across Australia’s three largest territories (Itron).
- Its edge is location. Meter-level visibility lets a utility protect specific transformers and feeders; Itron cites peak reductions of up to 30% (Itron).
- Delivered capacity is well below installed capacity. Xcel Energy’s Colorado battery program onboarded more than 15 MW of batteries that deliver over 5 MW at events (Itron).
Where Itron fits
Highlighted boxes are the roles this company plays; the green bar shows where its programs sit from demand response to an orchestrated VPP.
Swipe to see the full chart →
What IntelliFLEX does
IntelliFLEX connects to customer devices through open standards such as IEEE 2030.5, OCPP and OpenADR, and to utility systems such as an advanced distribution management system (ADMS) (Itron). Where Itron’s distributed intelligence meters are installed, decisions can be made at the meter itself, for example slowing an EV charger to keep a transformer within limits without a panel upgrade (Itron).
Itron says IntelliFLEX manages about 3 million devices for 30 U.S. utilities (Itron). In Australia, Ausgrid uses its low-voltage DERMS to monitor and control rooftop solar under new distributor obligations (Itron).
Xcel Energy’s Colorado battery program
Megawatts (MW): what is installed versus what the fleet delivers at events
Swipe to see the full chart →
Colorado: a utility battery VPP with Tesla
In March 2025, Xcel Energy, Itron and Tesla announced a direct integration of IntelliFLEX with Tesla’s battery platform to expand Xcel’s Renewable Battery Connect program (Itron). Within six months, Xcel had installed nearly 2,000 batteries and onboarded more than 15 MW, able to deliver over 5 MW at events. Participants get an upfront incentive plus annual performance payments in exchange for year-round utility control (Itron).
The structure is the opposite of Tesla’s California model: here the utility’s DERMS is in charge, and Tesla’s platform is one of several aggregators feeding into it.
What it means for program design
Meters as control points
If the meter network is already in place, IntelliFLEX can add local grid protection without new field hardware.
Plan on delivered, not installed, MW
Colorado’s 15 MW installed and 5 MW delivered is a useful planning ratio for home battery programs with backup reserves.
Plug in as a sub-aggregator
Device platforms connect through standards such as IEEE 2030.5 rather than replacing the utility system.
Method and caveats
Figures are company-reported, checked October 15, 2026. Itron reports 70+ GWh dispatched in 2025 across all IntelliFLEX deployments worldwide.