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One example is coordinating Tesla Powerwalls (home battery backup): https://www.tesla.com/support/energy/virtual-power-plant/pge https://www.tesla.com/support/e

One example is coordinating Tesla Powerwalls (home battery backup): https://www.tesla.com/support/energy/virtual-power-plant/pge https://www.tesla.com/support/energy/virtual-power-plant/pge > By becoming a part of the Tesla Virtual Power Plant (VPP) with PG&E, your Powerwall will be dispatched when the grid needs emergency support. Through the Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP), you will receive $2.00 for every additional kWh your Powerwall delivers during an event. I should point out that I have a Powerwall, and I have no incentive from my electric utility to use it in any way. Overall, with rebates, it cost slightly more than a standby generator, and but it requires no maintenance, so it's "worth it" for me. But, $2.00 back on a kwh is pretty nice, IMO.

noveltyaccount 3y ago
Wow - $2.00 is crazy. I pay $0.15 per kWh (pacific northwest, inexpensive hydroelectric power). 13X, quite an incentive, even if rare.
- zbrozek 3y ago
  California's PG&E is the biggest utility in the US. In their territory electricity on the default residential plan ranges from $0.41 to $0.54 per KWh.
  - callalex 3y ago
    And they’re raising prices again next year.
  - gwbas1c 3y ago
    Still, that's 4x back. It really helps incentivize buying a larger powerwall, and disincentivizes the power company from sapping the battery dry right before you need it.
    - zbrozek 3y ago
      Yeah, I'm not saying it's a bad deal for the battery owner, but rather that it isn't the huge spread that you had assumed based on a reasonable electricity price. :shrug:
    - Scoundreller 3y ago
      How many hours a year would one expect to get this?
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  You're paying retail rate. The utility pays spot prices and attempts to manage the spot price vs retail rate spread over a window of time.
Scoundreller 3y ago
Why $2 though? When prices hit $1.50, they’ll just hit up their physical generators instead of your battery?

noveltyaccount 3y ago

Wow - $2.00 is crazy. I pay $0.15 per kWh (pacific northwest, inexpensive hydroelectric power). 13X, quite an incentive, even if rare.

zbrozek 3y ago
California's PG&E is the biggest utility in the US. In their territory electricity on the default residential plan ranges from $0.41 to $0.54 per KWh.
- callalex 3y ago
  And they’re raising prices again next year.
- gwbas1c 3y ago
  Still, that's 4x back. It really helps incentivize buying a larger powerwall, and disincentivizes the power company from sapping the battery dry right before you need it.
  - zbrozek 3y ago
    Yeah, I'm not saying it's a bad deal for the battery owner, but rather that it isn't the huge spread that you had assumed based on a reasonable electricity price. :shrug:
  - Scoundreller 3y ago
    How many hours a year would one expect to get this?
toomuchtodo 3y ago
You're paying retail rate. The utility pays spot prices and attempts to manage the spot price vs retail rate spread over a window of time.

Scoundreller 3y ago

Why $2 though? When prices hit $1.50, they’ll just hit up their physical generators instead of your battery?