The Tesla Virtual Power Plant will pay PowerWall owners for assistance during outages
Tesla is launching a new virtual power plant that will pay Powerwall owners for helping stabilize the network during power outages. The project is created in partnership with PG&E, it will be started in California. This was reported by Elektrek.
The virtual power plant will consist of distributed energy storage systems – such as Tesla Powerwall – that will work together. They will provide network services and help avoid the use of polluting and expensive power plants.
Last year, Tesla launched a test project of a virtual power plant in California. Powerwall owners then shared battery power for free when the system needed it. The company is now launching a new version of the power plant, which will compensate for the participation.
“Become a part of the largest distributed battery in the world and help keep California’s energy clean and reliable. Opt-in to the Tesla Virtual Power Plant (VPP) with PG&E and your Powerwall will be dispatched when the grid needs emergency support. Through the Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) pilot, you will receive $2 for every additional kWh your Powerwall delivers during an event”, says the message on the Tesla website.
Depending on the outages and the amount of Powerwall people have, they can earn from $10 to $60 or even more per outage. Tesla estimates that about 50,000 Powerwalls will be able to join the project, which together will generate 500 MW per hour in the event of a power outage.