Sunrun Delivers 80+ MW Daily to Ease Strain on California Grid
Emergency energy capacity made available by more than 17,000 Sunrun customers, alleviating stress and demand during statewide Flex Alert
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunrun (Nasdaq: RUN), the nation’s leading home solar, battery storage and energy services provider, today announced that it delivers more than 80 megawatts (MW) of stored solar energy capacity from customer batteries to the state’s electric grid daily to reduce strain and improve energy resilience for all Californians. This is significantly larger than California’s controversial Ellwood gas-fired peaker plant, as well as several other highly polluting peaker plants across the state.
Sunrun’s customers collectively support California’s grid every day by providing additional energy capacity during times of peak demand. During just one recent event, more than 17,000 Sunrun customers made available over 80 MW of stored energy capacity during the standard Time of Use (TOU) window — a 60% increase in capacity over the previous year — which supports the overall health of California’s electric grid with clean solar energy every day.
In addition to daily TOU dispatches, thousands of Sunrun customers help to reduce the risk of power outages in California utility service areas. One such program is California’s Emergency Load Reduction Program, which calls on critical resources, like Sunrun solar and battery customers, to share energy capacity during periods of electrical grid emergencies. Once enrolled, customers are compensated for sharing additional capacity to help satisfy the state’s anticipated electricity demand.
“I am thrilled that our customers are not only reaping the benefits of energy independence in their own homes, but are also providing critical support to keep the grid up and running for all Californians,” said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell. “Customer-sited batteries are key for a clean energy future, providing routine and emergency capacity to help the grid and avoid reliance on conventional, polluting generating resources. We must continue to make self-generated solar energy more accessible to provide greater energy resilience, independence and safety within our communities and build the more affordable grid of the future. Nationally, the amount of solar energy capacity Sunrun customers generate is equivalent to a nuclear power plant.”
Sunrun customers in California are providing grid resilience through eight other additional programs that network home batteries together to produce virtual power plants (VPP). These agreements, most notably with Southern California Edison, East Bay Community Energy and Bay Area Community Choice Aggregators, provide affordable, clean solar and battery backup power to customers who are facing rising electricity costs and power shutoffs.
Last month, Sunrun announced that its entire fleet of home batteries can support the nation’s energy grid by dispatching more than 150 MW, which can help reduce the severity of grid shortages and blackouts across the United States. That amount of energy capacity is enough to displace multiple fossil fuel-burning peaker plants, saving ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars in avoided construction, maintenance, and fossil fuel costs.
About Sunrun
Sunrun Inc. (Nasdaq: RUN) is the nation’s leading home solar, battery storage, and energy services company. Founded in 2007, Sunrun pioneered home solar service plans to make local clean energy more accessible to everyone for little to no upfront cost. Sunrun’s innovative home battery solutions bring families affordable, resilient, and reliable energy. The company can also manage and share stored solar energy from the batteries to provide benefits to households, utilities, and the electric grid while reducing our reliance on polluting energy sources. For more information, please visit www.sunrun.com.
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Wyatt Semanek
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Released August 30, 2022