The Pacific Gas and Electric Company is turning thousands of everyday household devices into “virtual power plants” to support the grid.
Through the new initiative called SHARE (Smart Home Assets for Reliability and Efficiency), the utility aims to cut peak-time grid strain in Bay Area communities while helping households reduce energy costs and make better use of home technology they already have.
Here’s what to know
To launch SHARE, the utility is working with Rewiring America, Google, Carrier, Tesla, Sunrun, Renew Home, Demand Side Analytics, and encoord, as well as other partners.
PG&E and Rewiring America expect to start reaching out to eligible customers in fall 2026, which is when the enrolled devices are also expected to begin supporting the grid, per Solar Power World. The program is scheduled to run through 2027.
More background
A virtual power plant links many smaller devices, such as home batteries, smart thermostats, and heat pumps, so they can act as one larger energy resource and support the grid when it’s feeling some strain…