SunPower and OhmConnect Launch Virtual Power Plant to Help Make Homes Grid-Friendly
SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) has partnered with OhmConnect to launch a new virtual power plant (VPP) offering for California homeowners. This program allows SunPower customers with solar panels and SunVault® battery storage to connect via the mySunPower® app and earn rewards by supplying stored solar power back to the grid during peak demand periods. The VPP enhances the value of SunVault battery systems, automating energy dispatch to reduce grid load while ensuring homeowners retain enough energy for their needs. The initiative is designed to help stabilize the grid, particularly during high demand, and simplifies the enrollment process for residential customers of major California utilities. The companies aim to expand the program to additional markets later in 2023.
- Launch of a virtual power plant (VPP) enhances customer engagement.
- Allows homeowners to earn rewards for energy savings during peak demand.
- Automated system increases value for SunVault battery users.
- Partnership with OhmConnect expands energy service offerings.
- None.
Thousands of SunPower customers in California can now connect to OhmConnect's energy-saving platform and easily get paid when providing stored solar power back to grid
RICHMOND, Calif., April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR), a leading solar technology and energy services provider, and OhmConnect, the leading provider of residential energy flexibility, today launched a new virtual power plant (VPP) offering for SunPower customers across California. Now, homeowners in select locations with solar and SunVault® battery storage can connect with OhmConnect directly through the mySunPower® app to earn rewards for managing their electricity use during periods of peak demand.
SunPower and OhmConnect's VPP helps homeowners make money off the energy stored in their SunVault battery. OhmConnect tracks energy prices and demand in real time and helps customers reduce their energy use when prices and demand are greatest. This automated process can provide SunPower customers even more value for their SunVault storage system by rewarding them for reducing load on the grid.
"With the rise of virtual power plants, it is much easier for residential customers to get rewarded for helping us make the grid more resilient," said Cisco Devries, CEO, OhmConnect. "With our SunPower partnership, OhmConnect can expand the ecosystem of homes that leverage the energy they generate to help stabilize the increasingly vulnerable grid."
Using the mySunPower app, California homeowners with SunPower solar and SunVault battery storage can easily enroll in OhmConnect's platform. Once enrolled, the SunVault system is set to automatically dispatch power from the homeowner's battery during times of heavy grid use, while retaining a fixed amount of energy to meet their home's energy needs.
The user-friendly interface puts homeowners in full control with real-time push notifications before, during, and after the battery is leveraged, with the option to opt out or adjust battery backup reserve levels at any point. By integrating the SunPower and OhmConnect experience into one platform, homeowners can conveniently manage their VPP activity from battery reserves and discharge history to earnings.
"VPPs are primed to go mainstream as battery storage becomes more accessible, energy prices continue to soar and the grid is continuously overtaxed by fires, heatwaves, and even rain," said Ellen Kinney, Vice President of Digital at SunPower. "Our work with OhmConnect simplifies the homeowner experience by making enrolling easy and automating participation in major savings events. Removing manual steps and complex barriers for participation will be the key to helping virtual power plants reach their true potential and create a more resilient grid powered by the sun."
OhmConnect is a free service available to residential customers of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) utilities. California residents can enroll through the mySunPower app, available to download on Apple App Store or Google Play. The companies plan to launch in additional markets this summer.
About SunPower
SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) is a leading solar technology and energy services provider in North America. SunPower offers the only solar + storage solution designed and warranted by one company that gives customers control over electricity consumption and resiliency during power outages while providing cost savings to homeowners. For more information, visit www.sunpower.com
About OhmConnect
OhmConnect, winner of the 2021 Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award, helps hundreds of thousands of customers manage their at-home electricity and rewards them for smarter energy use. The company pays its customers for saving electricity when the grid is stressed and likely to utilize dirty power, unlocking clean, affordable, and reliable energy. With more than
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding expected business plans, product performance, energy output, and cost savings. These forward-looking statements are based on our current assumptions, expectations, and beliefs and involve substantial risks and uncertainties that may cause results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, regulatory changes and the availability of economic incentives promoting use of solar energy and fluctuations or declines in the performance of our solar panels and other products and solutions. A detailed discussion of these factors and other risks that affect our business is included in filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from time to time, including our most recent report on Form 10-K, particularly under the heading "Risk Factors." Copies of these filings are available online from the SEC or on the SEC Filings section of our Investor Relations website at investors.sunpowercorp.com. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information currently available to us, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events.
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SOURCE SunPower Corp.
FAQ
What is the new virtual power plant launched by SunPower and OhmConnect?
How can SunPower customers participate in the virtual power plant?
What benefits do California homeowners gain from the VPP program?
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