Rocky Mountain Power deploys Torus to create 500 MW of flexible capacity
Industry
Electric Utility
Headquarters
Salt Lake City, UT
Service Territory
Utah, Wyoming, Idaho
Primary Use Case
Fast Frequency Response
Rocky Mountain Power serves 1.2 million customers across Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho — and load growth is outpacing infrastructure. Data centers, manufacturing, and technology investment in population centers along the Wasatch Front are driving demand higher, while generation resources sit hundreds of miles away.
In 2025, Rocky Mountain Power and Torus partnered to deploy 500 MW of distributed demand response capacity through the Wattsmart Battery Program — one of the largest C&I battery demand response opportunities in the Western United States.
Challenges
- Rising energy demand straining grid capacity
- Coal plant retirements creating a generation gap over the next decade
- Aging transmission infrastructure driving congestion
- Need for dispatchable capacity that deploys in weeks, not years
Outcomes
- 500 MW of demand response capacity being deployed behind the meter at C&I facilities across Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho
- 359 demand response events dispatched in 2025, managing grid peaks without new centralized generation assets
- Distributed assets that ramp in <20 seconds with a target power of ~100%.
- Strengthened relationships with large load users by providing a system that reduces electricity costs and improves power quality at no capital cost
Deployment
Through this partnership, Rocky Mountain Power deploys Torus behind the meter at industrial sites — the utility gains dispatchable flexible capacity, and the host facility gains bill savings and power quality improvement at no capital cost.
"We've dispatched commercial Torus sites 520 times over the past 18-months unscheduled, real-time events—and they've answered every call. Reliable ramping, reliable connectivity, with nearly 100% uptime. We have been thrilled with the performance at Torus!"
— Shawn Grant, Customer Solutions Director, PacifiCorp
Customer wins. Utility wins.
One system that reduces peak demand behind the meter, and dispatches when the grid needs it.
Unplanned frequency response
When grid frequency drops unexpectedly, Rocky Mountain Power sends an unplanned dispatch signal to Torus systems sitting behind the meter at customer sites. Torus ramps to full power in seconds, injecting stored energy back into the grid to help stabilize frequency.
359 unplanned events. 99.9% uptime.
Full year VPP performance in 2025.
For the utility
Each enrolled system joins Rocky Mountain Power's virtual power plant, which the U.S. Department of Energy recognized as "among the most advanced VPPs in the U.S." Rocky Mountain Power dispatches stored energy during peak grid events — less than 1% of hours per year. Instead of new generation or transmission, it adds targeted flexible capacity one facility at a time, deployed in weeks.
For the facility
Torus system is installed for capital cost. The customer pays an subscription for O&M support. Torus corrects voltage sags and spikes, shaves peak demand, and shifts usage to off-peak hours.
