U.S. Virtual Power Plants Grow 153% as Home Batteries Deliver 539 Megawatts

Last year, the amount of U.S. home battery capacity enlisted in virtual power plants grew by 153 percent, as VPPs use storage systems and software to send energy to the grid when it needs more power.

“By Daniel Foster, ad hoc news Accessories & Components Desk”

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The Yale E360 article says the expansion is “transforming not only the way electricity is generated, but also how it is traded, delivered, and consumed,” citing a 2022 International Energy Agency report.

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It adds that there are now more than 500 VPP programs in the U.S. and thousands in Europe, and that the IEA said these assets “can provide valuable services to the grid when incentivized with appropriate technologies, policies, and regulations.”

In the U.S., a two-hour test last July found roughly 100,000 home batteries delivered about 539 megawatts of energy, described as more than the output of a large gas peaker plant.

The same source says a 10 kilowatt-hour installed system costs roughly $8,000 to $13,000.

Sunrun’s Brightbox Home Battery is described as a white, wall-mounted box that pairs with rooftop solar to provide backup during outages and to shift household electricity use away from expensive evening hours.

In a product description, Sunrun says Brightbox can be configured with a Tesla Powerwall or with an LG Chem battery, depending on the market and utility programs.

Ars Technica

The ad hoc news item reports that a common setup with one Tesla Powerwall offers around 13.5 kWh of usable energy, while LG Chem RESU batteries are usually installed in similar energy ranges.

It says Brightbox is available in Sunrun’s active residential solar markets across the US, including California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Arizona.

The piece also notes that Sunrun CEO Mary Powell emphasized that customers in states with wildfire-related power shutoffs are asking for more control over their energy.

Ars Technica reports that US home battery installations hit a record 673 megawatts of energy storage in the first quarter of 2026, citing US Energy Information Administration data.

“Last year, the amount of U”

Yale E360

It says the trend was driven by states with high electricity prices that have implemented policies to incentivize home battery installation, and that California and Hawaii accounted for the majority of new residential battery storage.

The article adds that Hawaii offers a one-time payment of $400 for every kilowatt of battery storage that homeowners install, while California incentivizes homeowners by offering better pricing for residential electricity exported to the grid after sunset.

Ars Technica also links the surge to rising electricity costs, saying the Energy Information Administration’s data shows the nationwide average for residential electricity costs increased by more than 7 percent in April 2026 compared to April 2025.

It concludes that homeowners with smart battery-management systems could benefit by storing energy when electricity prices are lowest and draining it during peak demand periods.