Texans can get two sonnen batteries at no upfront cost as part of new virtual power plant

Under a new Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA), Texan homeowners can get solar panels and two 20 kWh sonnen batteries at an affordable monthly rate of 12 cents per kWh.
Image: Solrite and sonnen

Solrite Energy, a U.S. company specializing in financing solar and battery systems, and Germany-headquartered battery maker sonnen have announced the launch of an innovative VPA in Texas’s ERCOT market. This program offers solar and battery power for homes at an affordable monthly rate, with Solrite retaining control of the systems.

Under the program, Solrite will install solar panels and two 20 kWh sonnen Core+20 batteries at eligible customer households at no upfront cost. The eligibility criteria and PV capacity have not been specified.

In return, homeowners pay “a lower-than-average rate for the solar energy they produce each month, saving them money compared to typical electricity rates in Texas,” the company said in the VPA announcement. Households participating in the Solrite program will pay “a leading rate of just 12¢ per kWh for solar energy, significantly lower than the 19¢ – 20¢ per kWh rate commonly seen in the state [ in most solar buyback programs],” the company said.

Since September 2024, Solrite has committed over 40 MWh of battery storage capacity installed across more than 1,000 homes in Texas, working with solar installation professionals statewide.

By orchestrating home battery energy storage systems in a VPP, Solrite aims to help balance the Texas grid and generate revenues from the energy stored in the batteries, which will help cover the cost of the equipment and installation.

“The bold and inventive Solrite introduction in the Texas market represents the most successful early-stage launch of the sonnenConnect VPP in the world,” says Blake Richetta, Chairman and CEO of sonnen Inc. USA. “sonnen is proud to dispatch authentic VPPs across the United States and Australia, as well as the largest behind-the-meter residential battery based VPP in the European Union – with nerve centers in Germany, Italy and Belgium, amongst other countries. And in all of these markets, we have never seen anything like the Solrite Texas launch.”

This is made possible due to the opportunities in Texas’s liberalized electricity market, which allow for VPPs to provide a greater scope of grid services and thereby generate more revenues. In so doing, the VPPs in Texas can strengthen the grid and reduce the likelihood of power outages, as well as provide backup power in the case of such incidents.

Written by

  • Marija has years of experience in a news agency environment and writing for print and online publications. She took over as the editor of pv magazine Australia in 2018 and helped establish its online presence over a two-year period.

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