Virtual Peaker vs Aleph Alpha

About

Virtual Peaker is an energy software company founded in 2016 that provides a demand flexibility and distributed energy resource management platform for electric utilities. The software enables utilities to enroll customer devices including smart thermostats, water heaters, EV chargers, and battery storage systems in demand response programs, then orchestrate those devices to reduce peak demand, integrate renewable energy, and manage grid constraints. Virtual Peaker's platform supports direct load control programs where utilities can adjust device settings during grid events as well as price-responsive programs where customers shift usage based on time-of-use pricing. The company serves over 50 utility customers across North America and manages millions of enrolled customer devices. Virtual Peaker raised $38M and was later acquired by Itron, a leading utility technology company, to strengthen Itron's distributed energy resource management capabilities. The platform addresses the critical challenge utilities face in managing increasingly complex grids as solar, EVs, and batteries proliferate among customer populations.