Leap and Enel North America Partner to Strengthen U.S. Grid Resilience by Expanding Commercial Demand Response and Virtual Power Plants

Leap, a platform specializing in the development and scaling of virtual power plants (VPPs), has announced a strategic partnership with Enel North America to connect more commercial and industrial (C&I) distributed energy resources (DERs) to utility demand response programs across the United States.

Under the collaboration, Leap and Enel will leverage existing C&I energy capacity already installed on the grid to help utilities balance electricity demand in real time. The partnership aims to enhance grid reliability while creating new revenue streams for Leap’s C&I partner network.

The initiative will initially roll out across utility programs managed by Enel in Washington, Arizona, and the Tennessee Valley, with plans to expand into additional U.S. markets over time.

Enel North America is a global leader in demand response and one of the largest virtual power plant aggregators in North America, working as an exclusive partner with utilities to develop and operate demand response programs nationwide. Through the partnership, Enel will be able to rapidly scale participation in its programs, while C&I customers gain opportunities to monetize their flexible energy assets.

For Leap, the agreement represents an expansion into vertically integrated utility markets, broadening the deployment of its automated VPP platform and enabling its technology partners to unlock additional revenue from the commercial energy resources they manage.

Jason Michaels, Chief Executive Officer of Leap, said the partnership comes at a critical time for the U.S. power system.
“With energy demand rising due to data center growth, electrification, and extreme weather, tapping into flexible capacity already on the grid is essential to maintaining resiliency and controlling costs. Partnering with Enel allows our partners to access new markets through Leap’s automated platform, enabling more commercial customers to be rewarded for providing fast, cost-effective support to the grid.”

The companies said the collaboration supports broader efforts to strengthen grid flexibility and accelerate the energy transition through scalable, market-driven demand response solutions.