Residential battery maker sonnen today launches sonnenConnect, a consumer battery program in California through a partnership with installer Baker Home Energy as part of the PowerOn! Smart Battery Program. sonnen batteries combined with sonnenVPP software will allow customers to earn compensation for feeding power back onto the grid through this virtual power plant model.
sonnen will proactively manage batteries enrolled in the sonnenConnect program by time shifting local stored solar against peak demand periods in response to price signals embedded in time of use rates to minimize customer’s electricity bills. The program features sonnen battery participation in a variety of dynamic grid service markets, producing monthly cash payments for enrolled customers, while helping to decongest and decarbonize California’s energy grid.
The unique combination of proactive bill management and grid services compensation effectively offers a sustainable alternative to net energy metering (NEM) while supporting the broader energy transition in a way solar alone cannot. The impact of grid-interactive smart batteries has already been demonstrated in virtual power plants across the country.
“We are honored to launch sonnenConnect California in partnership with Baker Home Energy’s PowerOn! Program. Baker Home Energy is an industry leading solar contractor, with a reputation for quality, customer service and pioneering new technologies,” said Blake Richetta, Chairman and CEO of sonnen. “With the Baker team’s dedicated initiative to bring this innovation to California’s consumers, I am confident that we will reach the necessary scale of smart, grid interactive batteries in California required to make rolling blackout alerts, like those that we recently experienced, a worry of the past.”
“By leading with the PowerOn! Battery Program, energized by sonnenConnect, Baker Home Energy is changing the way solar is sold in California,” said Mike Teresso, CEO at Baker Home Energy. “We see smart batteries as the heart of a clean energy future and sonnen’s capabilities give us the potential to revolutionize how rooftop PV is sold and utilized in California. sonnenConnect allows us to offer our solar plus battery customers the ultimate combination of lower electric bills, access to backup power resiliency, and ongoing compensation for grid services that offers an alternative to net-metering.”
News item from sonnen
30 Oct 2023
Wish I had seen this article sooner.
I am having the same issue the the earlier emailer(James Vinson) is having with
Baker Electric and Sonnen. Turned on my system July 5th, 2023, and have not seen a dime from sonnen. They said the first payment would be in Sept., then no, wait, Oct., oh wait, now it will be in November. Same excuse: SDG&E is the problem. I’ve talked to SDG&E Solar operations and they say they are not aware of any issues. The sonnen algorithm discharges my battery then dumps me onto the grid during on-peak grid periods. I’ve learned to adjust the buffer to my advantage but I have to do it daily.
I’ve been thinking scam for several months now. Every time they force my battery to discharge to the grid they are collecting $$ per kWr. What percent do they keep and what percent do they pay? They won’t say. I received a fake (IMO) monthly summery for Aug. 2023 which said I earned all of $4.77 after they discharged my battery at least 5 times. Over one year that would be about $60. Not worth it! i could not, in good conscious, recommend sonnnen to anyone.
Let me know when the class action law suit starts.
Sonnen battery installed in March and have yet to receive any compensation in mid-July. Someone is controlling discharge into grid as I see discharge at 7-8 kw rate when home use is still low. Someone is receiving benefit of my system but it is not me. Who do I contact to correct this situation? Was VPP just a scam with SDG&E receiving the benefit at my expense? High usage during summer demand is making this more obvious. Have contacted Sonnen and Baker and their response is the issue is with SDG&E and I need to be patient.
Is there anything I can do to receive the benefits I was promised?
Do I need to pursue legal action?
I am looking at the Sonnen system. Has there been any resolution to your issue with compensation?
Great! Sonnen finally arrived in California! Have been following the company from (my home-country) Germany and have been looking forward to this revolutionary Idea to spread around the world.
First step California! Congratulation!
Actually in the U.S., for several years now Sonnen has been accepted as a top tier ESS for homes and small businesses. Developer Madalay Homes in Arizona has been using Sonnen ecolinx in every home built in their housing developments for at least 5 years now. Soleil Lofts in Utah is a 600 apartment complex with solar PV on the roof and a Sonnen 20.0 ESS in every apartment. There are other housing tracts being built with solar PV and smart ESS as part of the home package.
How exactly are customers compensated for participating?
With regulatory uncertainty especially where the NEM 3.0 the Sonnen may be the best system to have to deal with future utility programs that are certain to be in a utility committee somewhere.