| |  | The March 2025 issue of IEEE Electrification Magazine will be soon available in IEEE Xplore. This issue focuses on virtual power plant (VPP) technology enabling the aggregation and flexible control of distributed energy resources (DER). The issue highlights key challenges in the design, implementation, and operation of VPPs, along with mitigation measures. These challenges include control room operators’ acceptance, the absence of uniform VPP communication and interoperability standards, as well as concerns regarding cybersecurity and data privacy. The issue was organized by Farrokh Rahimi and Mohammad Shahidehpour. Dr. Rahimi is an executive of Open Access Technology International (OATI), a company specializing in providing digital services to utilities. Prof. Shahidehpour has designed and operated a hybrid AC/DC microgrid in the Illinois Institute of Technology campus located in Chicago. Together, they have invited and edited eleven expert articles covering a range of technical, regulatory, cybersecurity, data privacy, and practical dimensions of VPP design and implementation. The contributing authors represent a diverse range of expertise, including academia, national laboratories, electric utilities, energy market designers, regulatory agencies, technology providers, and energy consultants.
| 
