Customers can back up their clean energy and help manage demand on the grid
UPDATED 09/01/21 – Starting October 1, 2021, the rebates will be $500.
Sunnyvale, Calif. – Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) has launched Lights On Silicon Valley, a local energy resilience program designed to support residents in pursuing backup electricity by providing a $1,250 rebate on solar and battery systems enrolled in the SVCE grid program. As a response to PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs, SVCE partnered with Sunrun, a leading home solar, battery storage and energy services provider, to offer this opportunity and increase local energy resilience.
With a solar and battery system, the backup battery takes over if the power goes out, sending power to breakers within seconds. Sunrun’s solar-powered Brightbox home battery system is designed to provide 8 to 12 hours of backup energy (and be resupplied daily by solar panels), though this fluctuates based on usage.
Once the Sunrun system is installed, customers will enroll the battery in Lights On Silicon Valley to join a local network of storage devices which will send extra power to the grid when overall demand is high. This will help reduce the need for natural gas peaker plants that come online to support the grid during high congestion days – lowering emissions statewide.
“We must decrease our reliance on polluting, fossil fuel power sources from our grid and improve energy resilience to reach our local and state clean energy goals,” said Mountain View Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga, SVCE Board Chair. “Lights On Silicon Valley is one of the multiple initiatives SV Clean Energy is pursuing to assist communities in breaking down the barriers to transitioning to a clean, all-electric future.”
SVCE single-family customers who install solar and battery storage through Sunrun and participate in Lights On Silicon Valley are eligible for the $1,250 rebate. More information on how to apply can be found at svcleanenergy.org/lights-on-sv.
“Generating clean solar power on rooftops and storing it in batteries is helping to displace the need for fossil fuels and polluting peaker plants,” said Lynn Jurich, Sunrun’s Chief Executive Officer and co-founder. “We have a unique opportunity to help harden the grid with distributed resources and deliver much needed energy resilience to SVCE residents.”
At least 20% of the systems are guaranteed to be deployed at multi-family properties, with an aspiration to install 50% of the systems in support of multi-family residents. Sunrun will work directly with facility managers, primarily at affordable housing properties, to access available state incentives and install these larger systems.
The partnership with Sunrun is a result of the Request for Offers issued by SVCE and three other local energy providers in November 2019. The 10-year contract will provide a minimum peak capacity equivalent to installing systems for approximately 1,500 single-family homes or supporting 3,000-4,000 multi-family households. The actual number and type of installations will depend on a variety of factors.
SVCE has multiple programs supporting community resilience. In 2020, the SVCE Board of Directors designated $5 million to go towards community resilience in the form of planning and infrastructure development for local municipalities. SVCE recently announced four new pilot programs that focus on resilience at different levels of the community. For more information on upcoming resilience programs please visit svcleanenergy.org/resilience.
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About Silicon Valley Clean Energy
Silicon Valley Clean Energy is a not-for-profit, community-owned agency providing clean electricity from renewable and carbon-free sources to more than 270,000 residential and commercial customers in 13 Santa Clara County jurisdictions. As a public agency, net revenues are returned to the community to keep rates competitive and promote clean energy programs. Silicon Valley Clean Energy is advancing innovative solutions to fight climate change by decarbonizing the grid, transportation, and buildings. Learn more at SVCleanEnergy.org.
Contact
Pamela Leonard, Communications Manager
O: 408-721-5301 x1004
pamela.leonard@svcleanenergy.org
