virtual power plant

Ann Arbor is about to test a new way to power homes — and it could become a model for other cities.

Starting this week, energy management company FranklinWH will begin installing solar + battery storage in homes across Ann Arbor, Michigan, as part of a pilot run by the city’s Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility (A2SEU).

California senate bill 913 would allow utilities and grid operators to treat home backup batteries like real power plants, opening the door for programs that can pay homeowners to share excess energy capacity during peak demand.