Sunrun, PG&E collaborate on 30 MW Residential Battery-Powered Virtual Power Plant in California

Sunrun and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) have launched the Energy Efficiency Summer Reliability Program to provide meaningful and flexible support from residential solar and battery systems during the hottest months of California when energy demand is at its peak and energy supplies are constrained.

Sunrun will enroll up to 7,500 new and existing household solar and battery systems in PG&E's service territory, establishing a virtual power plant that can send 30 MW of clean energy to the grid.

A virtual power plant stores renewable energy from rooftop solar panels throughout the day and shares it back to the grid during peak times, such as at night or during hot summer months. During August–October, California's peak energy demand enrolled battery installations will discharge daily from 7–9 p.m. Participating clients will receive a free smart thermostat and US$750 upfront. In the case of a local power outage, program batteries will have enough energy to fulfill personal demands.

Participation is open to all Sunrun solar and battery customers in single-family homes that have an interconnection agreement with PG&E and are not enrolled in any other demand response programs.