Puget Sound Energy includes Tesla home batteries in its Flex Batteries program 

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and clean-energy technology company, Uplight, announced on November 19 that they are expanding the Flex Batteries program to include Tesla home battery systems.  

“We’re excited for this opportunity to engage Tesla battery owners and put their assets to work to support PSE’s grid resilience and decarbonization goals,” said Gisela Glandt, VP of Virtual Power Plants at Uplight. “With intuitive incentives and a simple, user-friendly customer portal, we anticipate strong enrollment and participation in this program.” 

Launched in August, the program aims to bolster energy stability while incentivizing customers to earn rewards for participating in the initiative. It offers financial rewards to residential electric customers with compatible home battery systems.  

Under this program, participants can earn a one-time payment of $1,000 for each eligible battery they own, with the potential to receive up to an additional $500 annually for ongoing participation.  

Solar Edge batteries, including LG batteries paired with SolarEdge inverters, and Tesla are accepted for enrollment in the program.  

The Flex Batteries program serves a dual purpose. While providing backup power for homes during outages, these battery systems, when connected to PSE's grid, also play a crucial role in reducing stress on the power infrastructure during high-demand periods, referred to as "Flex events." 

Flex events are triggered by sudden surges in energy demand, often due to extreme weather conditions or other factors. These peak periods can overburden the power grid, potentially leading to service interruptions.  

To mitigate this risk, PSE prompts customers to temporarily reduce their energy usage during Flex events. This can be achieved through simple actions such as postponing the use of energy-intensive appliances or adjusting thermostat settings.  

PSE will send notifications for Flex events to customers enrolled in the program via email or phone and text notifications. Flex events are scheduled between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., typically lasting 2-4 hours each, and never occur on major holidays (New Year's, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). Winter events run from November 1 to March 31, while summer events take place from May 1 to September 30. 

By default, customers receive email notifications for Flex events, with options for phone and text notifications. Flex Smart enrollees get notifications on their smart thermostat or app. For next-day events, notifications start at 8 a.m. PST the day before and are delivered by 5 p.m. PST. Same-day event notifications begin at 8 a.m. and are delivered by noon, with events starting at 3 p.m. or later. 

Flex Batteries are part of a suite of PSE Flex programs, including Flex Smart and Flex Rewards, designed to ensure reliable energy access for all. These initiatives align with PSE's commitment to providing 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045.  

"By participating, you will help us use more renewable energy sources like wind and solar in the future, as we start to shift our usage patterns to match their availability," PSE stated.  

PSE and Uplight have partnered since 2022 on PSE Flex, an energy savings program managing peak demand. Customers earn rewards for participating in demand response events.  

In the press release, PSE stated that the program has seen about 70,000 new enrollments in PSE Flex programs. It also stated that over 600,000 customers participated in various programs within the PSE Flex portfolio last year.  

Click here for more information about the program. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was written by a human reporter with some assistance from artificial intelligence. Our team carefully reviewed and edited all information to ensure accuracy and relevance.