First-of-its-kind partnership between
California's largest utility and
nation's leading provider of clean energy as a subscription service
helped strengthen the state's energy grid with home
solar-plus-storage systems
OAKLAND,
Calif., Jan. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
Peaking at nearly 32 megawatts from 8,500 solar-plus-storage
residential systems, Sunrun and Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E) customers provided consistent, reliable clean
energy to California's power grid
through the summer and fall of 2023 through an exclusive
partnership between PG&E and Sunrun (Nasdaq: RUN), the nation's
leading provider of clean energy as a subscription
service.
The Energy Efficiency Summer Reliability Program, also known as
Peak Power Rewards, is a comprehensive and fully operationalized
residential solar and storage distributed power plant. The program
quickly achieved its maximum enrollment of 8,500 customers and
provided a consistent average of 27 megawatts of power during
evening peak hours for more than 90 consecutive days. With an
instantaneous peak output of nearly 32 megawatts, the program
frequently supplied the grid with up to 30 megawatts – sufficient
power for more than 20,000 homes.
Sunrun managed the participating fleet of home batteries to
provide power to PG&E in the same way that a centralized,
traditional power plant would. However, Peak Power Rewards was
operational within six months of contract signature, a timeframe
not possible when building traditional power plants.
"The Peak Power Rewards program achieved a customer
participation rate and power supply volume that's never been
accomplished before," said Sunrun CEO Mary
Powell. "PG&E was able to confidently rely on the
renewing daily resource of Sunrun's fleet of home solar and storage
systems. We are rapidly transitioning to a storage-first company
and the results of this partnership highlight the unique capability
that distributed power plants provide communities."
Sunrun's distributed power plant programs use software to
seamlessly manage the discharging of thousands of home batteries
onto the grid in coordination with utility needs, making it so
customers don't need to take any action. Peak Power Rewards created
a favorable situation for PG&E, Sunrun and their shared
customers. Enrolled battery systems discharged energy back to the
grid every day from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
during the months of August through October, a critical window when
energy needs are highest in California. In exchange, customers received an
upfront payment of $750 and a free
smart thermostat for participating. Batteries enrolled in the
program retain enough energy to meet personal, essential needs in
the event of a local power outage in their area.
"Working together with partners like Sunrun is a win-win-win for
our customers, the electric grid and California as a whole. Solar-plus-storage
plays a significant role in California's clean energy future and we're
proud of our customers who are leading the charge with their clean
energy adoption. Every day, we're looking at new and better ways to
deliver for our hometowns while ensuring safety, reliability and
resiliency for our customers," said Patti
Poppe, CEO of PG&E Corporation.
PG&E is the nation's utility leader in both rooftop solar
and behind-the-meter storage, having connected nearly 820,000
customers with rooftop solar to the electric grid totaling
approximately 8,039 megawatts of capacity and with nearly 75,000
PG&E customers having installed and connected storage systems
to the grid in PG&E's service area, totaling more than 670
megawatts of capacity. These customers could on average rely on
over 10 hours of backup power using their storage system, a
critical resource for grid resiliency, particularly during storms,
heatwaves, and emergency energy alerts.
"What is happening in California will soon need to be replicated
across the country," Powell said. "Residential solar-plus-storage
systems networked together as distributed power plants are
answering the demand call by providing flexible, on-demand power
stabilization while also guarding against increasing rates."
Sunrun is the nation's largest provider of distributed power
plant programs with years of experience managing a fleet of tens of
thousands of home batteries and assisting utilities with demand
response planning. Unlike traditional power plants, Sunrun's
distributed power plants can quickly be set up and operationalized
without the need for costly new infrastructure, as was the case
with the PG&E partnership. Sunrun and PG&E are currently
exploring possibilities for future programs that will jointly
benefit customers, electric grid resiliency, and Californians
overall.
About Sunrun
Sunrun Inc. (Nasdaq: RUN) revolutionized the solar industry in 2007
by removing financial barriers and democratizing access to
locally-generated, renewable energy. Today, Sunrun is the nation's
leading provider of clean energy as a subscription service,
offering residential solar and storage with no upfront costs.
Sunrun's innovative products and solutions can connect homes to the
cleanest energy on earth, providing them with energy security,
predictability, and peace of mind. Sunrun also manages energy
services that benefit communities, utilities, and the electric grid
while enhancing customer value. Discover more at www.sunrun.com
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company,
a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:
PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving
more than sixteen million people across 70,000 square miles in
Northern and Central California.
For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company