Generac Grid Services has been selected by the U.S. Dept. of Energy to receive a $50 million grant to enhance the U.S. power grid’s ability to deliver affordable, clean energy to lower income homeowners in Massachusetts.
Generac will use the funding to install its suite of whole-home energy solutions in homes across Massachusetts, including behind-the-meter wi-fi thermostats and batteries, and optimize the use of electric heat pumps in combination with batteries and thermostats to improve reliability for residents. The project will demonstrate Generac’s capacity to integrate multiple energy technologies to support residents, while providing valuable grid services to benefit both the grid and the residents.
Generac will utilize its Concerto technology to aggregate and manage the energy assets as a virtual power plant (VPP).
“We’d like to thank the DOE for this opportunity and look forward to working with the state and our partners to lead the evolution to more resilient, efficient and sustainable energy solutions for the residents of Massachusetts,” said Aaron Jagdfeld, president and chief executive officer of Generac.
The funds are part of the federal Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, which seeks to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, the GRIP program leverages federal, state and private investments to ensure that communities across the nation have a reliable grid that is prepared for extreme weather while also delivering affordable, clean energy and creating robust local opportunities for economic investment and jobs.
VPPs are gaining more federal support. Installer Sunnova is using a DOE loan guarantee agreement to establish a loan program for VPP setups.
News item from Generac
