Grid Edge News | Canary Media

Aerial shot of a neighborhood and electrical lines

Grid edge

Texans can now sign up for virtual power plant to help grid, make money

Tesla, Octopus Energy and other power retailers are offering customers compensation to use their solar and batteries to make the grid more efficient and clean.

By Julian Spector . 27 January 2023

Residential neighborhood with solar rooftops

Grid edge

Swell raises $120M for virtual power plants to link solar and batteries

Getting networks of homes with rooftop solar and batteries to help balance the grid requires innovative tech and financing. L.A.-based Swell Energy is on it.

By Jeff St. John . 22 November 2022

Aerial view of homes with solar panels on their roofs near the ocean in Hawaii

Batteries

Hawaii is paying home-battery owners to help the grid. How's that going?

Hawaii's main utility reached a deal with pro-solar groups to reward households for sharing their clean energy. We check in on the results at the six-month mark.

By Julian Spector . 6 October 2022

a hand adjusting a nest thermostat on the wall

Grid edge

Californians saved the grid again. They should be paid more for it

Smart thermostats, solar-charged batteries, EVs and other household devices can shore up the stressed grid. Why isn't the state going all in on incentives?

By Jeff St. John . 15 September 2022

Batteries

In Utah, thousands of homes feed the grid stored solar power

Utility Rocky Mountain Power teamed with sonnen to set up a virtual power plant that's thriving. Now it plans to expand the model across Utah and Idaho.

By Julian Spector . 14 September 2022

Lunar Energy CEO Kunal Girotra in the company's Mountain View, Calif. lab

Batteries

Lunar Energy enters solar+battery field with $300M investment

Sunrun, SK Group and others back the startup's plan to break into a crowded market with integrated home battery systems and broader energy controls.

By Jeff St. John . 26 August 2022

A blue ford F-150 lightning EV truck in a parking lot

Electric vehicles

Lucky drivers will get discount on Ford EV pickup for helping the grid

Some customers leasing Ford F-150 Lightning electric trucks will score lower monthly payments in exchange for sharing power with the grid at peak times, under a deal between Ford and Duke Energy.

By Julian Spector . 24 August 2022

Batteries

This utility keeps customers cool during heat waves while saving them money

Vermont’s Green Mountain Power helped thousands of customers get home batteries. Now it taps them at peak times to prevent high costs and grid outages.

By Julian Spector . 11 August 2022

An electrician installing a Span smart electric panel.

Grid edge

Smart electric panels in homes could prevent overtaxing the grid

As more homes are electrified, utility circuits could face major upgrade costs. Or smart panels and controls could help save the day, a new study says.

By Jeff St. John . 18 July 2022

a woman wearing a blue shirt and safety gear stands on a rooftop

Solar

How rooftop solar got big: Sunrun hits milestone of 5 gigawatts installed

Canary talks to Sunrun CEO Mary Powell on the U.S. home-solar leader's first 15 years, its Ford electric truck partnership, and what comes next.

By Julian Spector . 28 June 2022

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Grid edge

Texans can now sign up for virtual power plant to help grid, make money

Swell raises $120M for virtual power plants to link solar and batteries

Hawaii is paying home-battery owners to help the grid. How's that going?

Californians saved the grid again. They should be paid more for it

In Utah, thousands of homes feed the grid stored solar power

Lunar Energy enters solar+battery field with $300M investment

Lucky drivers will get discount on Ford EV pickup for helping the grid

This utility keeps customers cool during heat waves while saving them money

Smart electric panels in homes could prevent overtaxing the grid

How rooftop solar got big: Sunrun hits milestone of 5 gigawatts installed