California VPP Sustainable
A Tesla Owner in California has recently reported that the gains from his Solar/Powerwall/Virtual-Power-Plant system has begun to be enough to pay for his monthly payments, and is now paying for itself.
Mark Gillund ordered a Tesla Solar + Powerwall system in June of last year, and once it was installed and activated in September of 2021, he saw immediate benefits. He noted that his normal power bill - which could reach over $650 per month at summer peak - dropped to just $10 per month.
Not long after that, Tesla began rolling out their Virtual Power Plant program for California, and Gillund was convinced that opting in would be very worthwhile.
Like other VPPs in Hawaii, and Australia, the system pays enrolled Powerwall owners for any power fed back into the grid during peak hours. The rollout program in California started with a $2 per kWh incentive.
Gillund’s 12.24 kWh solar array, paired with his Powerwall, were put to the test during September 9th’s heat wave. His system sent back 35 kWh into the grid on the 9th alone, but over the whole of the wave, he’s sent over 255 kWh - and been compensated well.
Gillund reports $510 in compensation for just this event - more than enough to cover his monthly payment for the system, which is around $400 per month.
Obviously, this was an extreme event that won’t be happening all year, but it definitely shows that this tech is getting more and more affordable, and that can only lead to further accessibility.
Currently, VPPs are being heavily subsidised by local governments to do everything from help wean off of coal power, to propping up ageing power grids. Stories like this becoming more common will hopefully spur more cities, towns and counties to adopt VPPs and similar systems so we can all take more control over our own electricity.