Sunrun has activated the nation’s first residential vehicle-to-grid distributed energy plant in partnership with Baltimore Fuel and Electrical Firm (BGE), Maryland’s largest utility. The pilot program is dispatching power from prospects’ all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning vehicles to the grid in periods of peak demand this summer time and fall.
The BGE and Sunrun partnership launched final summer time with vehicle-to-home functionality, and this summer time this system superior to the following step: pioneering vehicle-to-grid power dispatch, changing into the nation’s first residential bidirectional electrical car distributed energy plant. Sunrun created and administers this system, which incorporates three prospects utilizing Ford and Sunrun’s co-developed Dwelling Integration System to ship power from their F-150 Lightning vehicles’ batteries to the house and grid.
“This demonstrates the vital position that car batteries can play in powering the nation’s grid, accelerating American power independence and dominance. It’s nice to see this partnership with BGE and Ford transfer to this industrial stage,” mentioned Sunrun CEO Mary Powell. “Along with exhibiting how electrical autos can energy houses, add electrons to the grid and assist utilities meet peak electrical energy demand, this program additionally creates additional revenue alternatives for patrons.”
Beginning in July, the enrolled F-150 Lightning vehicles dispatched power to the grid between the hours of 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, incomes taking part prospects a cost based mostly on the quantity of power shared — as much as a most of $1,000 for the dispatching season that goes by the top of September.
“After we enacted the DRIVE Act in 2024, it was precisely any such innovation and collaboration that we hoped to unlock,” mentioned Maryland State Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo. “I’m excited to see this milestone reached, as we hope to see some of these customer-centered options scale as much as meet our state’s electrical energy wants. Thanks to Sunrun, BGE and Ford for working collectively to make this occur.”
Earlier this summer time, throughout excessive heatwaves, a big portion of the jap grid reached alert-level demand. This vehicle-to-grid program demonstrates that the massive batteries inside electrical autos can stabilize the grid, present backup energy to houses and decrease power prices; and dispatching electrical autos to the grid when demand and costs are excessive will help management prices and add reliability for grid-connected prospects.
“Educating prospects that their electrical autos have the potential to save lots of — and even earn — them cash all whereas parked at house is a game-changer,” mentioned Invoice Crider, senior director, international charging and power providers, Ford Motor Firm. “Enabling prospects to not solely energy their houses, however ship energy immediately again to the grid in instances of want helps prospects with monetary incentives, utilities with extra energy capability, and society by extra grid reliability and sustainable power practices. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Information merchandise from Sunrun
