Energy & Science
Tesla Makes Pitch to Turn Texas Homes Into ‘Virtual Power Plants’
- Pilot project showed homes can become ‘virtual power plants’
- Test used 64 homes with rooftop solar, Powerwall batteries
Homes with Tesla Solar Roofs in Boca Chica Village, Texas.
Photographer: Veronica G. Cardenas/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Tesla Inc. is hoping to turn some Texas homes into “virtual power plants” after tests showed its home batteries can be quickly tapped to reduce stress on the state grid.
Tesla is making the push after trying a project that pooled together 64 northern Texas homes outfitted with rooftop solar and Powerwall batteries. The pilot project showed that the setup can tap spare battery capacity and provide grid services within seconds, executives said Tuesday at a grid workshop hosted by Elon Musk’s company.