SolarEdge Technologies Inc.’s SolarEdge Home Battery has qualified to join grid operator Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart Battery program. This will enable Rocky Mountain Power to leverage customer-generated solar power along with battery technology in the homes of over 60,000 existing rooftop solar customers in Utah and Idaho.
Launched in 2021, the Wattsmart Battery program utilizes a growing fleet of residential batteries to help manage the electric system during peak usage periods. The program has over 3,000 batteries currently enrolled in Utah and Idaho.
The SolarEdge partnership will allow Rocky Mountain Power to take advantage of the fast response and accurate cloud control of SolarEdge smart inverters and distributed batteries to help balance the grid in real time while building toward the grid of the future.
“Wattsmart is an innovative program, but what really sets it apart from other VPPs is the speed of deployment. While typical demand-response programs work on a day-ahead basis, the Wattsmart program is designed to respond on-demand with almost immediate response in unplanned grid events,” states Peter Mathews, SolarEdge North America’s general manager.
“The more flexibility and speed battery assets can provide, the more valuable they are to grid operators – both as a contingency and frequency reserve. As we continue to move towards a net-zero economy, this level of optimization will become the standard for VPP models, allowing grid operators such as Rocky Mountain Power to build a resilient and flexible distributed energy grid of the future.”
Homeowners joining the Wattsmart Battery program with the DC-Coupled SolarEdge Home Battery will benefit from higher efficiency due to its ability to directly store DC power from the sun, reducing the number of energy conversions and reducing energy loss.
“When a customer participates in the program, they are partnering with Rocky Mountain Power to innovate for the future and become part of a sustainable energy grid solution,” adds Bill Comeau, Rocky Mountain Power’s vice president of customer experience and innovation. “The SolarEdge Home Battery, along with its advanced grid-connectivity capabilities, will help us to advance that effort.”
