Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) signed an exclusive partnership with Sunrun to tap its fleet of residential solar + battery storage + energy-as-a-service customers to increase grid resiliency during critical months of peak energy consumption.
This Energy Efficiency Summer Reliability Program, also known as Peak Power Rewards, quickly reached maximum enrollment and energy capacity goals — 7,500 new and existing residential solar + storage systems and 30 MW. Due to the strong interest, the program has already expanded to 8,500 customers and 34 MW.
Eligibility for Peak Power Rewards requires Sunrun solar and battery customers in single-family homes to have an interconnection agreement with PG&E and not be enrolled in other demand response programs. Customers will receive an upfront payment of $750 and a free smart thermostat for participating.
“I’m happy to participate in Sunrun and PG&E’s Peak Power Rewards program. I’m glad that my battery provides clean energy to the grid while also protecting my family during blackouts,” said Dan Exelby, a Sunrun an PG&E customer in Santa Rosa. “I think it is great that my battery is supporting the grid and promoting energy sustainability for California.”
California is among the top five states with the most hours of power disruption, making this program vital to overall grid health. The program provides meaningful and flexible energy to support the grid, every evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the months of August through October. This is when high temperatures challenge California’s grid to meet peak energy demand.
“As we make significant progress in fortifying the grid and fostering partnerships with energy providers like PG&E, home storage networked into distributed power plants emerge as invaluable assets,” said Mary Powell, CEO of Sunrun. “This program extension plays a unique and positive role in enhancing our state’s electric grid, reinforcing our commitment to empowering customers and communities with greater energy resilience and energy security to consumers, in a time where outages have become increasingly more common.”
“Working together with partners like Sunrun is a win-win-win for our customers, the electric grid and California as a whole. Every day, we’re looking at new and better ways to deliver for our hometowns while ensuring safety and reliability for our customers,” said Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E Corporation.
— Solar Builder magazine
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