Sawtelle-based Haven Energy, which supplies home solar battery systems that can be linked in a virtual power plant network, announced last month that it will offer free solar panels and battery storage systems to low- and moderate-income households, becoming one of the first residential solar providers to do so in the state.
To fund the program, Haven will draw on a residential solar and storage equity fund that is part of the state’s $280 million Self-Generation Incentive Program. Haven estimates that there’s enough money in the fund to support up to 10,000 qualifying households in the state with free solar/battery storage systems that would cost an average of $20,000 per individual system at the current market rate.
“Many homeowners simply don’t have the resources to cover the purchase and installation costs of these systems,” Vinnie Campo, Haven Energy’s chief executive and a co-founder, said in the company’s April 21 announcement of its free installation program.
“We are bridging that gap in the state’s rebate program,” Campo continued. “Through our unique financial structure, we’ll pay for the system and collect the state rebate, while the homeowner benefits from lower monthly bills and backup power during outages.”
Adding to a virtual power plant network
Besides allowing low- and moderate-income households to go solar for free for perhaps the first time in state history, Haven also plans to add these households to its virtual power plant network.
A virtual power plant works by coordinating hundreds of households with battery storage systems to put some of their stored electricity back onto the grid at times of high demand. Haven Energy is seeking to have its virtual power plant put up to 10 megawatts of electricity back onto the grid.
“Rather than sending surplus electricity to the grid automatically, we strategically work with our customers to time battery-charging and discharging to align with renewable production and peak demand,” Jeff Chapin, Haven Energy’s chief product officer and another co-founder, said in the announcement.
“By aggregating hundreds of these systems into a virtual power plant, we can reduce grid congestion, curb reliance on fossil fuels, and help California optimize its use of renewable resources,” Chapin added.
In December, Haven Energy inked a deal with the downtown-based Clean Power Alliance community choice power nonprofit serving cities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The deal provides up to 300 households in the region with solar/battery storage systems at discounted rates.
