While we entered our Thanksgiving time off slumber, Sunrun contracted with one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, Southern California Edison (SCE), to bundle the power from their Brightbox batteries together in a virtual power plant. The Sunrun-SCE contract will participate in California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) Resource Adequacy (RA) program, which ensures efficient and reliable operation of California’s grid. Sunrun will release stored solar energy to the grid when it’s needed most to increase grid resilience and lower power costs.
Details. SCE will send signals to Sunrun during high-demand events such as extreme heat waves when the energy grid is strained. In response, Sunrun will dispatch energy from thousands of its Brightbox solar-powered battery systems installed in the SCE territory, providing five megawatts (MW) of energy capacity to help support the overall energy system. The same solar-powered home batteries will also provide reliable backup power to these households if the power goes out. At least 10% of the RA capacity will be provided from Brightbox systems installed on low-to-moderate income households, helping ensure everyone can benefit from clean, affordable, and reliable home energy.
When? Sunrun will soon begin reaching out to customers to participate in this program and will start installations at the end of 2020, with plans for all installations to be completed by August 2023. This new contract with SCE extends a decade with fixed pricing and provides Sunrun incremental recurring revenue from providing virtual power plant services to the grid. SCE customers interested in participating in the program can purchase or lease a Sunrun Brightbox home solar-powered battery system for no up-front cost and low monthly payments.
— Solar Builder magazine
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