The U.S. Virgin Islands has recorded a new milestone in its effort to strengthen the territory’s electricity system, with the Virgin Islands Energy Office (VIEO) reporting 2.5 megawatt-hours of power delivered to the grid through virtual power plant testing.

The two half-hour tests were conducted separately on the St. Croix and St. Thomas–St. John power grids under the Virgin Islands Battery Energy Storage 2.0 Virtual Power Plant programme.

On St. Thomas and St. John, 190 residential batteries at 80 sites delivered approximately 800 kilowatts to the grid. A separate St. Croix test involved 108 participating batteries and delivered approximately 500 kilowatts.

The programme allows residential battery systems to operate together as a coordinated energy resource. Officials say expanding participation could help reduce peak electricity demand, respond to short-term generation shortages and potentially reduce the need for load shedding.

VIEO is also offering $1,000 for each eligible Tesla Powerwall enrolled, with up to $4,000 available during the 2026 launch year. The agency said more than $176,000 had already been paid, with another $68,000 being processed.