๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฉ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐
Aโ๏ธ459-wordโ๏ธ2.5-minuteโ๏ธread
Iโve been on a rant for a couple of weeks. Perhaps it was the upcoming annual circle jerk known as COP that aggravated me. The gathering should contact the Guinness Book of World Records because it may qualify for the most broken promises made at a single convention.
The good news is that the news isnโt universally bad.
In recent posts I highlighted Californiaโs successful test of the worldโs largest virtual power plant (VPP). Fresh off that success, California defunded the program. ย Donโt ask. There is no good reason.
Fortunately, that hasnโt stopped Californiaโs partner - Sunrun.
For those unfamiliar, VPPs basically aggregate power among users, and distributes that power as needed to other users. Hereโs the AI description:
A network of decentralized energy resources, such as solar panels, battery storage, and electric vehicles, that are connected and managed by software to function as a single, coordinated power source.ย
I think my natural brain generated a clearer description.
Chalk one up for real intelligence.
Sunrun โ a major installer of leased residential rooftop solar systems - recently announced its earnings, replete with its progress in transitioning to a solar + storage company.
That transition was made necessary by the elimination of the residential solar tax credit. Lucky for Sunrun, the OBBBA allows leased systems to still get the credit through 2027. That buys the company time to move away from its solar-dominant model.
Here are some Q3 highlights:
โถ 70% of new customers are opting to include battery storage.
โถ The company now boasts of 3.7 GWh of networked storage capacity from 217,000 customer sites.
โถ 106,000 customers have enrolled in its VPP program. Year-over-year thatโs up over 4x.
Impressive numbers, but why should anyone other than Sunrun and its customers care?
Because VPPs have the potential to fill the energy demand gap. ย By accessing stored energy from hundreds of thousands of batteries, Sunrun can redistribute that power as needed throughout the respective grids.
Currently, Sunrun is participating in 17 VPP programs in the U.S., and last year dispatched 416 MW of power. Although that makes Sunrun one of the largest VPP operators in the world, the amount of power is a drop in the pocket.
However, the point is that VPPs work. California proved it in that state, and Sunrun is proving it throughout the U.S.
VPPs are also a win-win. Utilities get access to power without having to build new infrastructure, and the owners of the systems get compensated for providing their power. In the case of Sunrun, it projects its customers will garner $2,000 in value.
There needs to be a greater emphasis on establishing VPPs throughout the country, and Sunrun is showing the way.
#sunrun #vpp #energystorage #residentialsolar