This article is all over the place, but the principle is pretty simple - rather than adding more generation for peak usage times, batteries store energy generated off peak and smooth out the macro usage trends.
Our local utility in NC has a program where they'll pay you ~$50/battery/month to enroll in their virtual power plant program. In exchange, they can take control of your battery up to 36 times per year for a period of a couple hours. Summer events are typically early evening during peak air conditioning times. Winter events are typically early morning during peak heating times.
In practice this means one of two things:
* They make your battery charge to full capacity in advance of the event, and then you run your home off the battery and don't take any power from the grid during that time
* Sometimes you'll also return power to the grid beyond that used by your house - they pay you the contracted rate for the power you deliver
We've paired our batteries with solar panels, so generally we have a full charge going into the summer VPP events. We have gas heat, but I expect we'll pay for at least some grid energy to charge batteries during the winter events. Regardless, it's been a good program for us - even without solar, we would not pay for any more power than we used, and the monthly rebate from the utility makes the economics of the system a lot more favorable, especially here in the land of relatively cheap coal power.
> They make your battery charge to full capacity in advance of the event..
> We've paired our batteries with solar panels..
Does this imply that the scheme will charge your battery from the grid, and that you don't technically even need solar?
I've never considered that one might get a battery without solar, but I guess you might have some power needs that would make it worthwhile to draw on during cheap periods and drain at peak?
We're in the GMP program from TFA. We don't have solar (it's on the list of longer-term projects). GMP is using the batteries solely to time-shift the load by charging from the grid during periods of low demand and drawing during periods of high demand. It decreases their (and indirectly their customers') costs because peak-rate power is expensive to buy or generate.
Does GMP have a community solar program or something similar where you can group buy solar?
<a href="https://solarunitedneighbors.org/co-ops/" rel="nofollow">https://solarunitedneighbors.org/co-ops/ is a resource in this context, <a href="https://www.brightsaver.org/" rel="nofollow">https://www.brightsaver.org/ for balcony solar (Balcony solar is legal in Vermont via <a href="https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.202" rel="nofollow">https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.202).
(seems like it would make sense for GMP to deploy batteries everywhere commercially logical first wave, and then follow with distributed solar generation across their service territory: <a href="https://greenmountainpower.com/map/service-area/" rel="nofollow">https://greenmountainpower.com/map/service-area/)
beaviskhan · · focus · HN ↗
Our local utility in NC has a program where they'll pay you ~$50/battery/month to enroll in their virtual power plant program. In exchange, they can take control of your battery up to 36 times per year for a period of a couple hours. Summer events are typically early evening during peak air conditioning times. Winter events are typically early morning during peak heating times.
In practice this means one of two things:
* They make your battery charge to full capacity in advance of the event, and then you run your home off the battery and don't take any power from the grid during that time * Sometimes you'll also return power to the grid beyond that used by your house - they pay you the contracted rate for the power you deliver
We've paired our batteries with solar panels, so generally we have a full charge going into the summer VPP events. We have gas heat, but I expect we'll pay for at least some grid energy to charge batteries during the winter events. Regardless, it's been a good program for us - even without solar, we would not pay for any more power than we used, and the monthly rebate from the utility makes the economics of the system a lot more favorable, especially here in the land of relatively cheap coal power.
greggsy · · focus · HN ↗
> We've paired our batteries with solar panels..
Does this imply that the scheme will charge your battery from the grid, and that you don't technically even need solar?
I've never considered that one might get a battery without solar, but I guess you might have some power needs that would make it worthwhile to draw on during cheap periods and drain at peak?
mauvehaus · · focus · HN ↗
toomuchtodo · · focus · HN ↗
<a href="https://solarunitedneighbors.org/co-ops/" rel="nofollow">https://solarunitedneighbors.org/co-ops/ is a resource in this context, <a href="https://www.brightsaver.org/" rel="nofollow">https://www.brightsaver.org/ for balcony solar (Balcony solar is legal in Vermont via <a href="https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.202" rel="nofollow">https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.202).
(seems like it would make sense for GMP to deploy batteries everywhere commercially logical first wave, and then follow with distributed solar generation across their service territory: <a href="https://greenmountainpower.com/map/service-area/" rel="nofollow">https://greenmountainpower.com/map/service-area/)