SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new analysis by The Brattle Group found that Sunrun’s (Nasdaq: RUN) fleet of home batteries across California was the largest contributor to a historic distributed power plant dispatch event that delivered an average of 535 megawatts to the grid—enough to power more than half of the city of San Francisco.
Multiple distributed power plant aggregators, of which Sunrun is the largest, discharged home batteries in coordination with the California Energy Commission, the California Independent System Operator, and local utilities during a scheduled test event between 7 and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29. The goal of the event was to prepare for anticipated need-based dispatches during heat waves in August and September.
The Brattle Group found that the output from more than 100,000 residential batteries resulted in “a visible reduction in net load” across the statewide grid when output typically is most valuable to the system.
“Performance was consistent across the event, without major fluctuations or any attrition,” said Ryan Hledik, Principal at The Brattle Group. “Events like these demonstrate to system operators that residential batteries provide dependable, planning-grade performance at scale.”
“Residential batteries—and other sources of distributed flexibility—can serve CAISO’s net peak, reduce the need to invest in new generation capacity, and relieve strain on the system associated with the evening load ramp,” Hledik said.
Sunrun’s home batteries supplied more than two-thirds of the total energy dispatched during the event—averaging more than 360 megawatts over the two hours—and have the capability to deliver this critical energy every day. Sunrun’s batteries acted in the same way as a traditional power plant and decisively knocked down the state’s evening peak demand for electricity.
“This customer-led solution is a win-win for households and the grid,” said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell. “Distributed home batteries are a powerful and flexible resource that reliably delivers power to the grid at a moment's notice, benefiting all households by preventing blackouts, alleviating peak demand, and reducing extreme price spikes."
This is the second time this summer that Sunrun’s fleet of home batteries helped reduce California’s peak energy demand. On June 24, Sunrun’s statewide distributed power plant dispatched 325 megawatts of peak power from 7 to 9 p.m. Participating Sunrun customers are compensated up to $150 per battery per dispatching season, and Sunrun is paid for dispatching the batteries.
See The Brattle Group’s full analysis here.
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.
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