• Program will utilize the collective power of solar-plus-battery storage systems during times of peak demand

IRVING, Texas, Sept. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vistra (NYSE: VST) today announced a new program for homeowners in partnership with Sunrun (Nasdaq: RUN) to support grid reliability for Texans. Through Vistra's flagship retail electricity brand, TXU Energy, the TXU Energy & Sunrun Battery Rewards program will aggregate power stored in residential, solar-connected batteries, forming a virtual power plant to dispatch energy back to the grid when it's needed the most.

TXU Energy customers who opt into the program and have installed Sunrun home solar panels and batteries will receive financial incentives for their participation while retaining control of their systems during power outages or severe weather conditions. These customers can also continue to benefit from TXU Energy's solar buyback plans, which credit solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid.

"Since we introduced solar net metering to Texans 15 years ago, rooftop solar has seen significant growth, marked by over $10 million in solar buyback credits paid to our customers last year alone," said Sam Sen, Vistra's vice president of energy transition solutions. "With the growing population and increasing demand on the grid, harnessing the collective power of home solar panels and batteries is an important expansion of our distributed energy initiatives."  

In partnership with TXU Energy, Sunrun will network customers' batteries together and seamlessly manage the discharging of stored solar power to the grid.

With one million customers and more than 116,000 installed storage systems, Sunrun has a proven track record of incentivizing customers to support local power grids. Sunrun operates more than a dozen power plants across the country, including the largest single-owner virtual power plant program.

"We are excited to partner with Vistra to bring Sunrun's virtual power plant expertise to Texas," said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell. "Pairing residential batteries with solar is a smart choice in the Lone Star State and this program makes the decision even more financially rewarding. Our customers take pride in self-generation and sharing their energy with their community to help the overall power grid."

Vistra has pioneered energy-efficiency initiatives such as the first-to-Texas connected thermostat solution and the popular TXU Energy Free Nights and Solar Days plan. With this program, Vistra continues to give customers innovative ways to control their energy usage and participate in a responsible energy transition.

For more information about the TXU Energy & Sunrun Battery Rewards program, please visit txu.com.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is a leading Fortune 500 integrated retail electricity and power generation company that provides essential resources to customers, businesses, and communities from California to Maine. Based in Irving, Texas, Vistra is a leader in the energy transformation with an unyielding focus on reliability, affordability, and sustainability. The company safely operates a reliable, efficient, power generation fleet of natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage facilities while taking an innovative, customer-centric approach to its retail business. Learn more at vistracorp.com.