Home Solar Plus Batteries In Utah Could Be America's Blueprint

Utah is at the forefront of a major shift in residential solar energy. Rocky Mountain Power, the state's energy utility, is enrolling thousands of residents in Wattsmart, a pioneering program offering financial incentives and payments to homeowners who install grid-connected batteries alongside solar panels or retrofit older solar panel systems with new batteries. Rocky Mountain Power weaves these batteries together into a "virtual power plant" that keeps energy rates low, cuts carbon emissions, and fortifies the energy grid. Yet, convincing homeowners to adopt solar plus battery systems that are still expensive can pose challenges. In addition, a shifting landscape of solar incentives scared many solar companies into leaving Utah.

But one company stayed and went all in on solar-plus-battery systems. ES Solar steadily learned how to sell these systems to homeowners and profitably install and maintain them. To date, ES Solar accounts for 96% of all Wattsmart program installations, positioning the company at the forefront of a new residential solar era in America.

Zach Randall, Vice President of Sales for ES Solar, joins Supercool to discuss the solar landscape in Utah and the future of solar power in the United States.

Show Links:
Guest: Zach Randall
Company: ES Solar
Initiative: Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart Battery Program

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