PowerStream and Sunverge install rooftop solar panels in homes

Ontario-based energy company PowerStream, with the help of Sunverge Energy, will be installing rooftop solar panels in 20 households. Their goal is to reducing home electric bills and providing customers with additional outage protection.

The pilot test in 20 homes is a key component of the utility’s plan to reduce overall power consumption in its service area by 535,440 MWh by 2020, which is the equivalent of taking more than 62,000 homes off the grid.

Rooftop solar panels and Sunverge systems that provide battery-stored power during periods of peak demand will be installed in 20 homes at the outset of the pilot program. All the units will be managed together by the utility to create a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) using Sunverge’s cloud-based software. That will allow PowerStream to manage them as if they were a larger solar energy or energy storage facility, except the power will be distributed at the point of load.

“This pilot project with Sunverge is a further testament to PowerStream’s commitment to cost-effectively deliver cleaner and more reliable power to our 375,000 customers,” said Maurizio Bevilacqua, PowerStream Board Chair and Mayor of the City of Vaughan. “The Sunverge systems will allow us to use rooftop-generated solar power more efficiently and reward our customers through significant bill savings.”

Ken Munson, co-founder and CEO of Sunverge Energy said “this is a win-win for both PowerStream and its customers by paving the way for significantly increased use of green, rooftop solar power that will also be more reliable and save consumers money. That’s why we’re going to see much more of these projects in the future from utilities across Canada and the world.”