Tesla users can link their batteries to provide a virtual power plant (VPP) that can be used to reduce peak demand for electricity and provide additional grid services.

The service is provided by EnergyHub, a supplier of distributed energy management systems (DERMS), to electricity users in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

User can enrol in ConnectedSolutions, EnergyHub’s bring-your-own-battery demand response programme.

Tesla Powerwall owners who participate in the programme can earn for every kilowatt of benefit they provide to the grid, up to $1500 per year depending on the size of the battery and the state where they live. Using the Tesla app, they can enrol in the programme and see the entire event including how much energy they are providing, and understand how that results in earnings from their utility.

“This frictionless approach to enrolment is key to building battery storage resources at scale and bringing the benefits of VPPs to the grid,” said Matt Johnson, vice president at New York-based EnergyHub. “Many small actions add up to an impactful, positive result. It’s essential that customers can easily see how they are helping the grid and getting rewarded for it, and the partnership with Tesla enables this level of visibility.”

Once a user is enrolled in the programme, their utility will call upon the VPP when the grid is stressed to reduce peak load during the demand response season, which runs from June to September. The programme will dispatch batteries no more than 60 times for a maximum of three hours per event. Users do not have to do anything in response to events. Tesla Powerwall will respond automatically to support the grid.

All EnergyHub utility clients are eligible for participation in the programme.

EnergyHub is an independent subsidiary of Alarm.com, a platform for intelligently connected property. Utilities rely on EnergyHub’s DERMS platform to manage all distributed energy resources to serve grid and market objectives. EnergyHub works with over 60 utilities in North America to manage more than 1.3GW of flexible capacity.