Get clean, uninterrupted backup power for your entire home with Tesla Powerwall…

Get clean, uninterrupted backup power for your entire home with Tesla Powerwall

Sunrun is helping Americans take control of their home energy. Through Sunrun’s premium Brightbox™ solar storage service, you can now get whole home backup with Tesla Powerwall for as little as 0 down.

Tesla’s Smart home battery, Powerwall, has brought high-quality, renewable energy and backup power to homes and businesses across the country. Tesla Powerwall’s standards are hard to beat, and Sunrun is committed to serving our customers with benefits like free maintenance and repairs.

As America’s leading residential solar and battery storage company, Sunrun is proud to meet your energy needs with industry-leading solar products, superior service, and custom solar and storage plans.

With Sunrun and Tesla Powerwall, a brighter future starts today. Request your free quote to connect with our expert Solar Advisors, so they can help you create a custom solar storage solution to meet your unique energy needs.

Now, you have the option to power your entire home through a blackout. In the event of an outage, your battery provides complete, continuous power and recharges daily when the sun rises.

We monitor your system 24/7. If your solar panels or Powerwall aren’t working at their full capacity, we’ll send an expert over to fix it.

Access power when you need it most. For some regions, Brightbox uses Powerwall to provide electricity during peak demand times, buffering you from high rates.

How does Tesla Powerwall work during an outage?

Your Tesla Powerwall will automatically disconnect from the grid in the event of a power outage and restore power in your home in a matter of seconds. Your rooftop solar panels will continue to recharge your Powerwall until the grid is up and running again.

How many Tesla Powerwalls do I need for my installation?

Just like solar panels, the number of Tesla Powerwalls you need will be determined by your unique energy needs and habits—but for some customers, one Powerwall may be sufficient. Your Solar Advisor will help you evaluate your energy usage to customize a solar system that sufficiently backs up your entire home. Request a free quote today.

How much power does Tesla Powerwall hold?

Tesla Powerwall holds an impressive 13.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of usable capacity, with a maximum power rating of 5.0 kilowatts (kW). Usable capacity is the amount of electricity stored in the battery that can be used, while power is the maximum amount of electricity a battery can discharge at one time.

It also has a Depth of discharge (DoD) of 100%, making it one of the most advanced solar batteries on the market today. DoD is a percentage indicating the amount of energy a battery discharges relative to its overall capacity—the higher the DoD, the better the battery.

Where will my Tesla Powerwall battery be placed?

A certified Tesla Powerwall installer will mount Powerwall on the wall, usually inside your garage or outside of your home.

How much does Tesla Powerwall cost?

You can make Tesla Powerwall a part of your home backup plan for as little as 0 down with Sunrun Brightbox. Our monthly and full amount lease comes with worry-free performance and 24/7 monitoring and maintenance. You can also choose to purchase your system through Sunrun.

See which financing options are available in your area and get in touch with a Solar Advisor today.

Can I add Tesla Powerwall to my solar system?

At this time, Tesla Powerwall is only available to new Sunrun customers. We can’t install Tesla Powerwall if you already have an existing solar installation or if it isn’t offered in your area.

What’s the difference between Tesla Powerwall and LG Chem?

Tesla Powerwall offers you whole home back up while LG Chem backs up part of your home. There are also difference in the software and app funcitionality.

Request a free quote to get connected with a Sunrun Solar Advisor and determine which backup solution will best meet your energy needs.

How Does Solar Battery Storage Work?

This system helps users expand their solar energy options and save money.

David Kuchta, Ph.D. has 10 years of experience in gardening and has read widely in environmental history and the energy transition. An environmental activist since the 1970s, he is also a historian, author, gardener, and educator.

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Solar battery storage (commonly referred to as solarstorage) is a booming industry. When pairing solar panels with battery storage, homeowners can store excess electricity produced by their solar panels in order to expand their options for how they use their solar energy—and how they can profit from it. Solar battery storage allows them to rely less (or, in emergencies, not at all) on the electricity grid to potentially lower their costs and even to supplement their income.

The Rise of Solar Energy Storage

As climate change increases the frequency and potency of extreme weather, resilience becomes more and more important to homeowners, and they are turning to solarstorage for help.

When the power went out in Texas and parts of the Southeast in February 2021, a homeowner shared how he was able to keep his refrigerator running and his heat and lights on because he had solar panels on his roof and a battery storage system in his garage. Interest in solar and battery storage systems more than doubled during and after the blackout.

In recent years, catastrophic wildfires and blackouts produced a surge in residential battery storage in California and Australia. Climate-driven extreme heat also continues to threaten energy systems with outages, with more consumers turning on air conditioners at the very time that power lines have more limited capacity to carry electricity.

The push for solarstorage has also been accelerated by plummeting and government incentives. Lithium-ion battery dropped 89% between 2010 and 2020, driven largely by the increasing production of electric vehicles. The federal investment tax credit for renewable energy can be applied to batteries if they are charged using a solar system (rather than directly from the grid). California, Massachusetts, and New York also provide incentives to homeowners for installing batteries along with their solar panels. In wildfire-prone areas, California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program pays for nearly the entirety of a battery installation.

Homeowners aren’t the only ones realizing the benefits of solarstorage. Utilities such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have been tying utility-scale solar projects with high-capacity batteries at far lower than fossil fuel plants. At the end of 2020, a third of all new utility-scale solar projects by capacity were paired with battery storage. In California, the rate was nearly two-thirds.

How Solar Energy Is Stored in a Battery

Pairing batteries with solar panels removes the greatest challenge to the widespread adoption of solar energy: its variability. over, the time of day when demand for electricity is at its highest is also usually around when the sun sets. Solar panels are at their most productive at midday, when demand for electricity is low.

Most solar system owners use the grid as their battery: when they produce more electricity than they consume, their panels send the excess to the grid. In most states, their utility company gives them credit for that excess electricity through a net metering program. The credit is then applied to the pay for the excess electricity that homeowners use when they consume more than they produce.

When integrated with battery storage, solar panels can send the electricity they generate to the house, out to the grid, or into the battery storage device. Part of that process involves one or more inverters, which convert electricity from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), or vice versa.

For new installations, where solar panels are installed at the same time as the battery, only one inverter is needed—to convert the DC electricity coming from the solar panels either for use in the house to send it to the grid, both of which run on AC. Batteries store energy in DC directly from the solar panels. For houses that already have solar panels but are adding storage, the system already has an inverter that converts DC electricity to AC, so a second inverter is needed to turn the AC back into the DC so that it can be stored in the battery—a process that’s less efficient.

Types of Solar Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries dominate the solar energy storage industry, providing over 90% of utility-scale storage capacity in the United States. For residential storage, lead-acid batteries have the virtues of low cost, recyclability, and long shelf life with little to no maintenance required, but they are heavy and have longer charge times. Lithium-ion batteries charge more quickly and can hold more energy per mass, making them the preferred choice of most home solar storage systems today, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Considering their cycle life, performance, and cost, analysis by the U.S. Department of Energy shows lithium-ion batteries having the highest cost benefit, one which will only grow in coming years as the technology continues to mature and its to decline. The remaining 10% of utility-scale energy storage options—like pumped storage hydropower, flow batteries, sodium-sulfur batteries, molten salts, flywheels, and compressed air—are beyond the scale of homeowners.

Several other battery characteristics also determine the cost-effectiveness and usefulness of solarstorage systems.

Power and Capacity

Two similar-looking metrics—kW and kWh—are measurements of a battery’s power and capacity, respectively. A kilowatt is the amount of power that a battery can deliver at any one time, while a kilowatt-hour is the total amount of energy that the battery can store. The average U.S. household consumes just over 30 kWh per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, while battery systems are generally below that.

Round-Trip Efficiency

Round-trip efficiency is the measurement of how much energy is lost in the transfer and storage of electrons in and out of the battery. The loss is usually around 5%.

Battery Life

Battery life is measured by the number of cycles of charge and discharge it can go through. Eventually, batteries degrade over time and lose their ability to hold the same level of charge.

Can You Save Money With a Solar Battery Storage System?

Historically, diesel generators have been used as a backup energy source in case of power outages. A diesel generator can have a 2,000-6,000 purchase price, depending mostly on their power output. Adding in installation and fuel costs, that number can rise to between 10,000 and 20,000. If homeowners are lucky, most of the purchase price of a diesel generator will merely buy peace of mind and the generator will never have to be used.

While the upfront costs of a solarstorage system are significantly higher, depending on the size of the system, the return on investment is greater. A solar-tied battery backup can buy more than peace of mind: it can save homeowners money and generate revenue.

Different electricity providers have different rate structures: some charge a flat rate per kilowatt-hour consumed; others charge a surplus for high demand customers; still others have time-of-use plans, where electricity is cheaper during off-peak hours. Solarstorage systems can take advantage of any of these rate structures by reducing demand for grid electricity, including during periods of high demand, or store energy from the grid when it is cheapest and draw on the battery when grid electricity is most expensive.

Given these factors, for commercial and industrial customers who have high-demand charges, an analysis by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) found that solarstorage can result in cost savings. For residential customers, an earlier (2015) RMI study predicted that in many parts of the United States, solarstorage systems would be cost-effective by 2025 to 2030. As costs for both solar systems and lithium-ion batteries continue to plummet, however, the cost-benefit equation for residential customers is changing faster than anyone expected.

Virtual Power Plants

What Is a Virtual Power Plant?

A virtual power plant (VPP) is an emerging technology designed to save residential solar customers money. Individual homeowners are able to virtually (but not physically) connect their solar batteries in order to sell energy and grid services to their electric utility.

Utilities must not only always have sufficient electricity supply to perfectly meet customers’ demand; they also have to make sure that the electricity flowing through their wires flows at a steady rate of power and frequency.

When supply and demand are mismatched or when power surges or drops, the frequency is thrown off and can damage electrical systems. In conventional grid systems, turning fossil fuel-based power plants on and off to balance supply and demand is expensive and slow, while keeping them running as reserves wastes money.

In April 2021, 95% of California’s electricity came from renewable resources. As more and more variable renewable energy supplies electricity to the grid, too much wind or solar can lead to utilities shutting off available clean, low-cost renewable energy. Otherwise, they risk a blackout.

In virtual power plants, batteries are able to absorb excess electricity that might otherwise be curtailed and nearly instantaneously supply extra electricity when it’s needed. That means utilities can cut the cost of keeping a natural gas plant running and pass some of those savings on to the members of the VPP.

VPPs sound like a thing of the future, but they already exist, spurred by Order 2222 from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission allowing retail customers to participate in energy markets. Outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, a solarstorage residential community runs a VPP in connection with the local utility. Owners of Tesla Powerwalls who are customers of National Grid or Eversource utility companies in the Northeast can join the Connected Solutions program and earn up to 1,000 a year. Tesla also operates VPPs in the United Kingdom and Australia, while leading solar installer Sunrun has VPP programs for solarstorage customers in Hawaii and California. As more and more VPPs emerge, the cost savings of solarstorage increase.

Can Solar Battery Storage Take You Off-Grid?

During recent wildfires, California residents with rooftop solar systems were surprised to find that when electricity from the grid went out, so did their solar system. If a homeowner’s solar system is tied to the grid, for safety reasons the solar system goes down as well—otherwise, the electricity sent into the grid would endanger power line workers making repairs.

By contrast, many solarstorage systems can automatically disconnect from the grid, allowing homeowners to continue drawing power either from their solar panels or from the battery itself. While most solarstorage systems aren’t designed to completely cut off a homeowner’s connection to the grid, they do provide the ability to act independently from the grid for shorter periods, either individually or collectively as microgrids.

What Is a Microgrid?

A microgrid is a networked group of energy producers and consumers that are normally connected to a utility’s electricity grid but can also be islanded to act independently when grid power goes out.

When the Colonial Pipeline fell victim to a cyberattack in May 2021 and cut off fuel supplies to much of the East Coast, it sent shivers down the spines of grid operators. While the North American Electricity Reliability Corporation has mandated cybersecurity standards for the electricity grid, the grid is not invulnerable. A cyberattack briefly shut down an unnamed utility in the western U.S. in March 2019, the first of its kind.

One defense from shutdowns from cyberattacks, natural disasters, or other emergencies is the creation of microgrids. On the one hand, utility companies have less control over the operation of solarstorage systems, making them potentially more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

On the other hand, compared to a centralized energy grid where a single phishing attack can cause widespread power outages and require the payment of millions of dollars in ransom to return the system to normal, the reward to hackers for disrupting distributed energy resources like solarstorage is smaller and the damage is more locally contained.

In the United States, 1,639 microgrids were operating as of September 2020, generating over 11 gigawatts of electricity for their customers. Microgrids are especially useful for strengthening critical resources like hospitals or military bases. In 2019, a fire station in Fremont, California became the first in the United States to install a solarstorage microgrid.

Should You Purchase a Solar-Plus-Storage Package?

Resilience might mean something different for homeowners than for a business, organization, or public service running critical infrastructure. From a traditional cost-benefit analysis, the ability for homeowners to generate and use their own power is currently uneconomical. Like car insurance or life insurance, most people are fortunate when they do not get a return on their investment.

Yet when factoring in the potential cost of damages incurred without it, a solarstorage system can be a worthwhile investment. When power went out in Texas during its 2021 record cold temperatures, monetary losses were in the hundreds of billions of dollars—and nearly 200 people died. Especially in areas prone to power outages from extreme weather or other natural disasters, the decision to invest in solarstorage has more weight than ever before.

The U.S. Department of Energy maintains that lithium-ion batteries, the most common type of solar battery for residential use, has the highest cost benefit.

A solar battery can cost anywhere from 200 to 15,000 to install, and you can purchase a solar-plus-battery package that includes panels for about 7,000 to 15,000.

To comfortably use battery-stored solar power when your panels are not producing, you’d likely need two to three batteries. If you wanted to go entirely off grid, you’d need more like eight to 12.

Whether having a solar battery will save you money depends on your circumstances. If your utility company gives you hefty credits for the solar you send to the grid, then having a solar battery might have no economical benefit. Conversely, if you use a lot of electricity during peak hours, when it’s most expensive, using a battery might end up saving you money.

Although solar batteries can make your home less reliant on nonrenewable grid energy, Stanford University says the fossil fuels and energy it takes to make and power the batteries make them very resource intensive. On its calculation, the amount of electricity discharged by solar batteries is about 8% less than what’s used to charge them.

• Extreme Weather. National Climate Assessment, 2014.
• Klump, Ray. Why Does Hot Weather Cause Power Outages? Lewis University, 2013.
• McKerracher, Colin, et al. “Electric Vehicle Outlook 2021.” BloombergNEF, 2021.
• “Federal Tax Incentives for Energy Storage Systems.” National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
• Wiser, Ryan, et al. Hybrid Power Plants: Status of Installed and Proposed Projects. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2020., doi:10.2172/1644289
• “Battery Storage in the United States: An Update on Market Trends. U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020.
• Mongird, K. et al. Energy Storage Technology and Cost Characterization Report. U.S. Department of Energy, 2019.
• Peng, Vanessa. “What Types of Batteries are Used in Battery Energy Storage Systems?” U.S Energy Recovery, 2021.
• Electricity Consumption in U.S. Homes Varies by Region and Type of Home. U.S. Energy Information Administration.
• Penev, Michael, et al. Energy Storage: Days of Storage Sensitivity Analysis. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2019.
• Shea, Ryan, and Madeline Tyson. “Think Distributed Solar-Plus-Storage Isn’t Cost-Effective? Think Again.” Rocky Mountain Institute, 2020.
• Bronski, Peter, et al. “The Economics of Load Deflection.” Rocky Mountain Institute, 2015.
• Roth, Sammy. “California Just Hit 95% Renewable Energy. Will Other States Come Along for the Ride?” Los Angeles Times, 2021.
• Martin, Chris. “Californians Learning That Solar Panels Don’t Work in Blackouts.” Bloomberg, 2019.
• “Cybersecurity and Power System Stability.” Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, Grid Integration Group.
• Leader, Jared. “Microgrid Trends Shine Spotlight on Role of Utilities and Policy Makers.” Smart Electric Power Alliance, 2020.
• “Valuing the Resilience Provided by Solar and Battery Energy Storage Systems. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2018.
• Do solar panels and home batteries save energy? Stanford University Earth Matters Magazine. 2019.

Sunrun

Britt Olizarowicz is a former real estate agent and landscaping business owner. She has a wide range of experience across several industries and was also a professional golfer. With her experience in investing, renovating, and improving properties Britt loves to share in all of the latest and greatest technologies, systems, and strategies to keep your home and garden looking great.

Roxanne Downer is a commerce editor at Today’s Homeowner, where she tackles everything from foundation repair to solar panel installation. She brings more than 15 years of writing and editing experience to bear in her meticulous approach to ensuring accurate, up-to-date, and engaging content. She’s previously edited for outlets including MSN, Architectural Digest, and Better Homes Gardens. An alumna of the University of Pennsylvania, Roxanne is now an Oklahoma homeowner, DIY enthusiast, and the proud parent of a playful pug.

Today’s Homeowner exists to help you maintain or improve your home safely and effectively. We uphold strict editorial standards and carefully vet the advice and resources referenced in our articles. Click below to learn more about our review process and how we earn money.

Sunrun is a solar energy contractor that has been in the business for more than 15 years. Although Sunrun has some really impressive positives, this solar company has some trouble with customer reviews and complaints that should be considered. In our Sunrun review, we will give you all the information needed for homeowners and business owners to ensure they make the right decision when it comes to solar panels.

Our Expert Take on SunRun Inc.

Sunrun has an A- rating from the BBB and over 15 years of industry experience. One of the things that help Sunrun stand out is the number of different methods or paths it offers customers to afford a solar installation. Most companies that provide solar systems will have financing options, but Sunrun also includes leasing options for those interested in solar installation.

The Sunrun brand name has a relationship with Costco. It also uses high-quality solar batteries and panels and is offered in 20 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Some of the other positives associated with Sunrun include free maintenance on their Tesla Powerwall solutions. In addition, the company offers industry-leading warranties on most of the products that it sells.

Whether you want to keep upfront costs down or want to work with a company that allows you to manage and lower your electric bill with very little money, Sunrun products could be right for you. We gave this provider a 4.2/5 rating.

Sunrun Solar at a Glance

Sunrun was founded in San Francisco, where its headquarters still remain today. The Sunrun customer has access to lots of information about this public company and even an online portal system that Sunrun offers once you are a customer and have completed the installation process of your solar lease or solar purchase. Here are a few of the basics to understand about the Sunrun Solar power company as a whole.

Sunrun Summary
Company name	Sunrun
Year founded	2009
Headquarters	San Francisco, CA
Services	Solar Energy Contractors
Certifications	Tesla Powerwall Certified Installers
# of Employees	15000
BBB rating:	A-
Our Rating:	4.2/5
Average Cost:	15,000

Sunrun Solar Services

One of the great things about Sunrun Solar panels is that you have four different options to choose from for the payment setup. This includes a monthly lease, full lease, full purchase, or a monthly loan. Speaking with a sales representative, you will learn that each of these four options has its ups and downs. If you are looking to keep the monthly payment down, the full purchase is certainly your best choice.

For those looking to keep the upfront costs to a minimum, the leasing options are the best overall.

With the lease options, the solar equipment is owned by Sunrun, and it is also maintained by them. For the purchase, options expect that you will be the owners and although there is some service and a strong warranty, the level of maintenance that Sunrun does won’t be quite as much.

All four options come with rate hike protection and a warranty. The real question comes down to you as a homeowner and whether it means more to you to own or to simply lease and benefit from customer support. The salesperson you work with from Sunrun will help you understand the options that you have.

Sunrun Installation Process

Sunrun is a large business with more than 15,000 employees. As we mentioned, it is located in 20 states, and there are Sunrun installers throughout these 20 states. Of course, there could be times when your installation is contracted out. This happens when the Sunrun team is too busy to keep you with requests, and it must employ an outside contractor to get the job done.

A typical installation process from quote to turning the system on goes as follows:

• Get a free quote from Sunrun by providing information such as your location, name, energy costs, and credit score.
• A Sunrun sales representative will reach out with a detailed solar system proposal, which includes your customized system design, recommended solar panels, the appearance, full costs, and the energy savings you will have in the future. The proposal may also include the local or state solar incentives that are offered, such as solar tax exemptions or rebates.
• After agreeing to a proposal that fits what you are looking for, Sunrun will obtain the necessary permits and approvals needed by your local authorities to have solar panels installed on your home. Sunrun will also enroll in net metering programs if you are eligible.
• After all approvals and permits are received, Sunrun will install the solar system on your home.
• After the installation, Sunrun, the city, and your local electric company will do an inspection of your system. Once passed, you can turn your solar system on.

Sunrun’s Solar Panel Warranties

The warranty is a really important feature of any solar energy system that you purchase. Clearly, spending tens of thousands of dollars means that you will want to save as much money as possible on your next system. In addition to a warranty, Sunrun also offers a guarantee. Here is what you can expect from this company.

Sunrun Guarantee

The Sunrun guarantee includes daily system monitoring, maintenance for most issues, and an option for insurance for your solar system. The leased options have a service package that comes along with the purchase, and this is because the equipment is not owned by the homeowner but instead by Sunrun. You will expect that it will take great care of the equipment it has just installed at your home.

The only problem we came across with this Sunrun guarantee is that customer service seems to be behind, and homeowners were having trouble getting in touch after making repeated phone calls. It’s one thing to have the guarantee in place, and another to have it accessible to the homeowners that need it. This is something to watch moving forward with Sunrun.

Solar System Warranty

The solar system warranty includes free equipment replacement and system repairs. For these replacements and repairs, the equipment and installation costs will be covered. Of course, when it comes to renewable energy, there are some systems that are known for being better than others. When researching Sunrun Solar reviews, we found that people had very few issues related to system breakdown and warranty-related claims.

Sunrun also offers a warranty that all roof penetrations are watertight for ten years. This is an important feature and one that is almost always exclusive to companies that have higher-quality installers. Sunrun claims that their installers have more than 20 years of solar panel installation and plenty of knowledge about your home and roof.

Proactive Solar System Monitoring

For the most part, solar power systems are not difficult to take care of. Most of the time, you are told to keep the system free of debris and inspect it from time to time to make sure there are no problems with the connection to the utility company or with battery storage.

Luckily with Sunrun, there is proactive solar system monitoring, and it is done daily. If an issue arises, Sunrun will know about it before you even do. With over 200,000 systems currently installed throughout the United States, this company has a strong presence.

Comprehensive Insurance

The comprehensive insurance option offered by Brightbox is a good option for those worried about theft or damage. The chance of something happening to your solar system is likely not that high, but the peace of mind offered by Sunrun will help them stand out from different companies on the market.

How Much Does Sunrun Solar Cost?

Sunrun will typically cost between 11,000 and 15,000; for a solar panel system. However, depending on your energy costs in your area, net metering options, and other incentives, this could vary greatly. In addition, if you have a large home that has very high energy needs, you may also pay closer to 25,000 or more. This video breaks down how you pay for solar power vs. actual solar panels with Sunrun:

Almost all of the top solar companies, Sunrun included, will offer information about incentives that can help you save money. The sales rep will tell you about the federal savings program designed to save homeowners 26% on their home solar system. This 26% won’t be in place for much longer and is set to drop to 22% in 2023, so take advantage of this while you still can.

Remember that the costs of the Sunrun systems will vary depending on if you are purchasing a solar battery backup, Tesla Powerwall, or a full solar panel system for your home.

Plans	Monthly Lease	Lease System	Purchase System	Monthly Loan
Purchase option	Monthly lease option 0 to a little down	Pay the solar lease in full at the beginning of the contract	Purchase in full	Purchase and finance
Ownership	Sunrun	Sunrun	Homeowner	Homeowner
Upfront payment	As low as 0	25 years of the energy cost	Full system cost	Solar loans begin with 0 down
Rate protection	Included	Included	Included	Included
Warranty	Included	Included	Included	Included
Full service	Included	Included	With Protection Plus	With Protection Plus

Financing Plans Options

Sunrun is actually one of the best providers when it comes to financing plans and options. We mentioned that the Better Business Bureau rating for Sunrun was an A- but many of these individual reviews about Sunrun will speak to the affordability of the product and the financing options that it provides customers.

Sunrun is now offering a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) as an additional option to help homeowners save money on their electricity and electrician costs. However, the main reason that Sunrun stands out is the leasing options.

Choosing between a lease or a purchase can be a big decision at first. However, when homeowners see the pricing involved and the fact that you will be well-equipped in a power outage, the lease option brings some great options to the table.

Remember that there are also local incentives to help you save money on the financing. Many homeowners take advantage of low-interest rates on renewable energy loans in their area.

Specials or Incentives Offered

Unfortunately, there are no current incentives from Sunrun. However, the product is offered in more than 20 states, and therefore there are local and state-level options that many homeowners can take advantage of.

The most important rebate currently on the market is the federal tax credit. This will help all homeowners save 26% on the purchase of their solar power system. With the federal incentive, you will pay upfront for your home solar system, and then 26% will come back to you as a return on your next tax bill.

In addition to this federal program, there are also local energy providers and even state-level tax incentives that Sunrun will help you work out. The company typically provides information and links to what you need, but it will typically require you to fill out this paperwork and file it all for yourself.

Homeowners should also look for tax incentives as well as property tax exemptions when installing a solar system. Sunrun does not offer these directly, but representatives can help you understand if others in your area are taking advantage of it.

Sunrun will set up 17-MW VPP on Puerto Rico for PREPA

Puerto Rico’s sole electric utility provider, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), has chosen Sunrun as the installation company and battery provider for the island’s first virtual power plant (VPP). The 17-MW VPP will network together more than 7,000 Sunrun solar storage systems installed on homes.

“Puerto Ricans are ready to make the move to reliable independent clean energy solutions that will increase their sense of safety and security in their own homes,” said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell. “We’re solving energy insecurity on the island by switching the model so that solar energy is generated on rooftops and stored in batteries to power each home, and then shared with neighbors, creating a clean shared energy economy. That way, residents not only have control over their energy at home, but can also share power with their community and be compensated for it.”

Sunrun will spend the next year enrolling customers into the program and begin networked dispatches in 2024. Customers will benefit from the cost savings of on-site energy generation and backup power and will also be compensated in exchange for strategically sharing their stored energy with Puerto Rico’s power grid, creating a shared clean energy economy. Batteries enrolled in the VPP will continue maintaining adequate backup reserves to power through potential grid outages at participants’ homes. All customers with batteries are also eligible to enroll and can opt out at any point during the 10-year program.

In 2019, two years after Hurricane Maria dismantled the island’s electric grid, the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act was passed by the Legislature to set the parameters for a forward-looking energy system that maximizes distributed generation. The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) determined that VPPs were key to achieving the legislation’s goals of building a resilient and robust energy system and meeting Puerto Rico’s renewable portfolio standards.

Coupled with increasing utility rates — some of the highest in the United States — and reliance on the old, poorly maintained fossil fuel power plants, Puerto Rico has seen a transformational shift away from an unreliable energy system, with tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans now with rooftop solar and batteries. Earlier this fall, Hurricane Fiona knocked out the island’s power grid, leaving more than three million residents in the dark. Sunrun customers on the island were able to power through the extended outages. Sunrun solar battery systems provided more than 350,000 hours of backup power to thousands of homes.

“My solar and battery system kept my lights on and my family safe during Hurricane Fiona,” said Hector Jimenez, a Sunrun customer in San Juan. “My neighbors relied on diesel to run their generators and started to worry when fuel supply began to run low. I was able to help them out by charging up portable batteries and lending them to people in the community who needed electricity.”

“Because of the solar battery system we installed on the roof of our station after Hurricane Maria, our communications systems were powered all night and day during Fiona, enabling us to respond to emergency calls,” said former San Juan Metro Fire Station Lt. Francisco Cruz.

The Governing Board of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority approved the terms of the agreement on October 26, 2022, and the agreement is subject to regulatory sign-off by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau and the Fiscal Oversight Management Board.

About The Author

Kelly Pickerel

Kelly Pickerel has over a decade of experience reporting on the U.S. solar industry and is currently editor in chief of Solar Power World.

Комментарии и мнения владельцев

PREPA has already been proven a lackadaisical entity bordering on criminal ineptitude since before Maria hit the Island in 2017. It seems people who have installed the technology to isolate themselves from the so called “power company” did much better during Fiona. With a population of some “States” in the United States, Puerto Rico may be the poster child for independence this country needs to get back to basics and away from rote usury from a so called “public utility”. Depending on who’s statistics one uses, it is said there are 3,143 counties within the United States. Perhaps Puerto Rico will prove, that 3,143 county VPPs would be the solution to massive overreaching entities like ISOs and RTOs. The rote IOU electric utilities with their “regulated monopoly” business model that allows incompetence to hide behind the aspect of “assured rate of returns” where these utilities get electricity rate increases if they don’t sell as much electricity as they used to, called a “lost revenues” rate case or do something incompetent like construct an inefficient generation plant, run it for a short time and then file a rate case for an electricity rate increase to pay off “stranded assets”.