As hyperscalers pour billions of dollars into new power plants for data centers, Google is also investing in something different: making better use of the existing grid.

The tech giant announced a new deal today for a gigawatt-sized virtual power plant (VPP), which appears to be the largest deal of its kind from a hyperscaler. The approach shrinks overall power demand at key moments. Voltus , Google’s partner, pays businesses and homeowners to use less electricity at times of day when the grid is under strain. A big box store might automatically adjust its thermostat by a couple of degrees; a factory might temporarily run part of its production on a battery. At a house, the electric vehicle in the garage might adjust its charging schedule.

In many cases, the changes might not even be noticeable.…