PG&E Connects >1M Customers to Solar, Expands VPPs
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- PG&E announced that more than 1 million customers have solar systems connected to its grid, the most of any U.S. utility.
- PG&E is modernizing the grid for two‑way power flows, investing in automation, advanced forecasting, streamlined interconnection, and solar‑plus‑storage integration.
- Virtual Power Plant delivered 535 MW for two hours in July during PG&E’s coordinated demand‑response test, marking the largest such test to date.
- Sunrun partnered with PG&E in February to launch a hyper‑local VPP using storage‑plus‑solar systems, exporting energy to alleviate local grid constraints and defer distribution upgrades.
- California rebates, including the Self‑Generation Incentive Program and net‑metering credit rates, support residential solar and storage, helping customers offset high rates and provide backup during public‑safety power shutoffs.
- SEIA noted that consumer interest in residential solar and storage is driven by dissatisfaction with utilities, especially after public‑safety power shutoffs that have left hundreds of thousands without electricity.
Why it matters: Customers gain lower bills and backup power during public‑safety shutoffs, while PG&E can defer costly distribution upgrades by tapping solar‑plus‑storage and virtual power plants. The milestone also highlights California’s broader transition to a more distributed, digital grid for utilities and regulators seeking cost‑effective resilience.
