Image: Tesla

Tesla's new Virtual Power Plant with PG&E in California is actively expanding. In less than a week, enrollment has risen to 1,262 homes, hinting at great testing success ahead that gives great benefits for both program participants and the entire state power grid.

It was revealed last week that Tesla and utility company PG&E launched a new program in California that will pay Powerwall owners who participate in it. Powerwall households create a virtual power plant (VPP) that sends electricity to the grid during emergencies or power shortages. According to the description on Tesla's website, participants will help shape the world's largest distributed battery—potentially over 50,000 Powerwalls. This VPP can replace gas-fired power plants that typically plug into the grid to provide extra power when demand for electricity starts to outstrip supply.

One of the program participants, who joined about a day ago, said that the program is showing that 1,262 homes are already in the fleet. This means that participation in the program is very popular and soon Tesla and PG&E will create a huge VPP, bringing benefits to all parties.

This is a complete game changer. It’s a Trojan horse for free market energy auctions, max out your solar if you can. https://t.co/0PIUIsTAEu

— Rick Davis (@RickDavisSF) June 30, 2022

Obviously, such popularity is provoked by the fact that participants will receive a monetary reward for kilowatts transferred to the network. Under the new program, by signing up, Powerwall owners can earn $2 for each additional kilowatt-hour they put into the grid during certain events when the grid is under heavy load. Owners will receive one push notification a few hours before the scheduled event and one at the time it starts.

In California, PG&E customers who own Powerwall can sign up to join the VPP through the Tesla App. After that, they will be able to make all the necessary settings, according to their preferences and needs. After accumulating $2 for each additional kWh sent to the grid, members will receive payments from Tesla as determined by the company. For this season, participants can expect to be paid by the end of March 2023.

© 2022 by Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

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