Sunrun Residence solar batteries assist SCE when demand is excessive – Renewables Now

November 20 (Renewables Now) – US solar installer Sunrun Inc (NASDAQ: RUN) will deliver 5 MW of power for utility company Southern California Edison (SCE) from a virtual power plant with solar-powered home batteries.

The solar, storage and energy service provider has signed an agreement with SCE to send energy from the virtual power plant to help the energy supplier meet the excessive demand. This will be done at the request of SCE, Sunrun said Thursday.

The virtual power plant will represent the pooled capacity of solar powered Brightbox battery systems installed by homeowners as part of the Sunrun programs. In addition to generating electricity, these facilities will provide emergency power to households in the event of a power failure.

Sunrun said it will soon reach customers to participate in the program. Installation is scheduled to begin at the end of 2020. The systems will go into operation in August 2023.

The contract between SCE and Sunrun will participate in the Resource Adequacy (RA) program of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). At least 10% of the promised capacity will be drawn from Brightbox systems installed in households with low to middle income.

"The need for a more stable grid and backup power supply couldn't be more obvious in California at this point in history," said Lynn Jurich, CEO and co-founder of Sunrun.