A city-owned utility is launching a pilot program to install energy management and storage systems in homes in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ann Arbor Sustainability Energy Utility is the first U.S. city-owned utility purchasing and deploying residential solar and battery systems to support behind-the-meter energy use. The pilot will test how distributed home energy resources can improve grid reliability, lower energy costs and expand access to locally generated renewable power.
The opt-in program is available to residents in Ann Arbor’s Bryant neighborhood, where many households are energy-burdened, with some spending more than one-third of their income on utility bills. The program will deploy energy storage technologies from FranklinWH.
“Ann Arbor is demonstrating how cities can lead the transition to more resilient, locally powered energy systems,” said Gary Lam, CEO and cofounder of FranklinWH. “By combining solar and battery storage at the residential level, this model gives communities greater control over energy costs and reliability while accelerating the shift to clean energy.”
Ann Arbor voters approved the creation of the Sustainable Energy Utility in November 2024. The community-owned utility operates as an optional, supplemental energy provider, delivering locally generated renewable energy.
As part of the pilot, FranklinWH systems, including the aPower S battery, will be paired with rooftop solar installations from Michigan Solar Solutions, Homeland Solar and Oak Electric Service installed in approximately 150 homes, with plans to scale to 1,000 homes in 2027 and several thousand annually in the years ahead. Texture’s distributed energy management software will aggregate the systems into a coordinated, utility-scale resource.
FranklinWH currently participates in more than 25 utility-led virtual power plant (VPP) and demand response programs. The Ann Arbor pilot extends this model to a city-owned, residential scale, offering a potential blueprint for municipalities nationwide seeking to modernize their energy systems.
News item from FranklinWH
