SOLRITE Energy, sonnen to launch battery-only VPP in Texas
German energy storage and virtual power plant (VPP) firm sonnen and partner company SOLRITE Energy are taking their latest energy innovation to the Texas energy grid in the form of their new “battery-only” VPP.
Designed for residential solar owners and post-buyback contract “solar orphans,” the new product will be affordable for most Texas-based families, according to Blake Richetta, chairman and CEO of sonnen Inc. USA. He adds that at $20 per month, the majority of the cost of the 60kWh product’s VPP Node is paid for by the Texas energy system, when considered the value it delivers.
“SOLRITE’s new ‘Battery-Only’ VPA product in Texas represents a major milestone for the growing VPP market in America,” Richetta says. “Finally, the value of the VPP battery stands entirely on its own as a dispatchable grid balancing solution, by way of a deep grid services value stack, either added to an existing solar array or absent of solar entirely. It is through the robust VPP grid services value stack that the battery monetizes, enabling the extraordinary 12¢ per kWh retail rate and 60kWh of backup power for the end-user customer.”
The companies say that some 3,000 customers across the Lone Star State have already joined the VPP agreement. Advertised as “first-of-its-kind,” the agreement is expected to gain up to 10,000 new customers before the end of the year, adding about 600 MWh worth of flexible energy to the Texas state energy grid.
The battery-only VPP offer is currently restricted to the state’s “de-regulated utilities,” sonnen officials say, with eligible markets including Houston, Corpus Christi, and McAllen.
Making homes for solar orphans
SOLRITE and sonnen officials estimate that most retail solar buyback contracts in Texas normally last between 12 and 36 months. But after that contract ends, electric utility retailers are no longer obligated to offer solar buyback on a second contract, creating “solar orphans,” who are still on the hook for PPA production and loan payments, despite not getting any compensation back.
SOLRITE and sonnen have worked to solve this problem. Regan George, SOLRITE’s founder and CEO, says that his company is offering a way for customers to fortify their solar to offset energy costs from the grid, rather than donating it to the grid itself.
“Many Texans who invested in rooftop solar have been left disappointed as shrinking buy-back programs and unpredictable retail plans eroded the savings they were promised,” George says. “Our new Battery-Only VPP, powered by 60 kWh of sonnen storage, gives those homeowners a way to capture and use their own energy for real value. And for non-solar customers, the same solution delivers robust backup power and an exceptional 12¢ all-in rate. For just $20 a month, SOLRITE is making reliable, resilient energy accessible to households across Texas.”
Backing up Texas residents
In addition to storing excess energy and fortifying solar solutions, the battery-only VPP creates a reservoir for customers, sonnen says. The company adds that homeowners will benefit from “substantial” backup electricity in the event of extreme inclement weather or future failures of an increasingly straining energy grid.
“The harnessed solar, stored in sonnen batteries, will be focused on energizing the home during peak demand periods throughout the daily cycle, effectively synchronizing with the rhythm of the grid,” sonnen representatives say. “Ultimately, the customer will consume the vast majority of their solar energy within their home, shaping the load to benefit Texas’s energy system while preventing solar from being injected into the grid at little to no compensation.”
Customers who do not have, or are unable to install, rooftop solar can also sign up to benefit for 60kWh of backup power through the battery-only VPP. sonnen’s battery nodes can sill function as a dispatchable load of electricity during “excess generation” times for Texas’s energy grid.
“This innovative solution provides a form of reverse demand response for the grid, absorbing excess energy generated during low-demand periods and shifting it to meet customer needs during peak periods of high grid congestion, effectively acting as a large, coordinated grid load shift,” the company says.
