Book Review: "Virtual Power", by Will Angel

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My friend Will Angel recently wrote a book, and I got the opportunity to purchase an early draft and review it. I'm so happy that he's made it this far, and I'm really glad to learn more about virtual power and its implications in both climate change and energy policy.

Will does a great job discussing the benefits of virtual power with respect to policy implications, especially around national security, cost savings, and feasibility. In doing so, he targets many high-powered professions around the D.C. area, and does a great job using examples of how parts of the virtual power network benefit him and the people of D.C. already. For example, he discusses PEPCO's "Energy Wise Reward" and "Peak Savings Day" events as successful applications of demand response modulation, and he mentions Kyle Yost and his standing offer to mount solar panels on your roof for free in D.C. thanks to Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs). These strike home the idea that virtual power is possible, moreso for policymakers based out of the D.C. area.

I'm definitely biased, but I found the book an enjoyable and relatable read, and I'm looking forward to the book's paper publication in a few months. Check out the Indiegogo campaign here for more information.