Sunrun dispatches 37K batteries to stabilize Puerto Rico’s power grid
As Puerto Rico faces another summer of extreme heat and a fragile power supply, clean energy company Sunrun announced it has deployed more than 37,000 home batteries to support the island’s electric grid and help prevent blackouts.
The batteries, part of Sunrun’s distributed power plant network, are being used in coordination with grid operator LUMA to respond to ongoing energy shortfall events, the company said.
Sunrun, which offers clean energy through a subscription model, has expanded its dispatchable battery capacity more than tenfold since last summer in Puerto Rico. From July through October, LUMA expects more than 75 critical energy shortage incidents, each requiring Sunrun’s battery fleet to inject power into the grid for up to four hours at a time.
LUMA confirmed that emergency support from Sunrun and other energy aggregators recently delivered enough electricity during peak evening hours to cover a nearly 50-megawatt generation shortfall. The contribution helped prevent rolling outages and provided stability in multiple communities.
“The aging grid and intense weather patterns in many parts of the country, including Puerto Rico, mean that our dispatchable power is of critical importance,” Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said. “It’s going to be a very difficult summer, which is why Sunrun has ramped up our dispatch capabilities, using tens of thousands of home batteries to support the grid and people of Puerto Rico.”
Customers participating in the program will receive a minimum of about $200 per battery, with potential to earn more by adjusting their settings to release additional energy into the grid. Sunrun also receives compensation for operating the distributed power plant, which functions similarly to a natural gas peaker plant by delivering electricity during high-demand periods at lower environmental cost.
