San Diego Homeowners Earn Greater Rewards for Installing Solar + a sonnen Battery system with a New Battery Program from San Diego Community Power.
Now customers located in San Diego Community Power territory can help enable a clean and reliable energy future for California and get paid for it.
Discover the Solar Battery Savings Program by San Diego Community Power
Welcome to a brighter, cleaner future with San Diego Community Power's (Community Power) Solar Battery Savings Program! Community Power is a community-driven, not-for-profit public agency dedicated to providing cleaner energy to nearly 1 million residents, who live in the Cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa and National City, as well as the unincorporated communities of San Diego County.
What is the SDCP Solar Battery Savings Program?
Community Power’s Solar Battery Savings Program is designed to make solar and battery storage accessible and affordable for eligible single-family homeowners. Community Power provides an upfront incentive (in the form of a rebate), and ongoing cash payments to customers who install new solar with a battery system or add a battery to an existing solar system to help stabilize the local grid.
How does the sonnen battery work with the Solar Battery Savings Program?
sonnen, a global leader in energy storage and virtual power plant programs with over 14 years of experience, is an approved Community Power battery vendor. Our safe, long-lasting battery systems are designed to be used daily to help manage your electricity usage and deliver maximum benefits. When you install a sonnenCore+ 20kWh home battery and enroll in Community Power’s program, you are eligible to receive a substantial upfront incentive for each battery system. You will also earn money for allowing Community Power to use your battery to help support the local grid on top of gaining access to backup power that protects your home from power outages caused by Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events and extreme weather power outages.
Why Choose a sonnen Battery Storage system?
- Get an Upfront Battery Incentive of up to $10,000 from Community Power*
- Lower Energy Bills: sonnen professionally manages your battery every day to maximize your stored energy during peak hours (4 p.m. to 9 p.m.) to offset your use of high-cost peak energy from the grid.
- Earn Credits for Exports: Discharge excess battery power back to the grid to earn valuable credits, associated with Net Energy Metering or Solar Billing Plan.
- Ongoing Performance Incentives: In addition to the upfront incentive, you receive $2,300 – $2,700 per year of estimated savings + Community Power revenue (potentially $150 – $200 per year more than other Solar Battery Savings approved battery products)**
- Proactive Backup Power: sonnen’s predictive weather forecasting and superior battery management ensures your battery is prepared for outages, so you stay up and running even if the grid goes down.
- Proven Battery Technology: sonnen, a global leader in smart batteries since 2010, provides a robust 10 year / 10,000 charge cycle warranty that is designed for daily use and delivering grid support services.
- Support Your Community: By discharging your battery during high demand periods, you help stabilize the local grid and contribute to community energy needs.
Who Can Benefit?
The Community Power Solar Battery Savings Program is inclusive, with larger upfront incentives available for households in "Communities of Concern" or for customers who qualify for bill discount programs like California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA).
Additional Financial Opportunities: Combine our program incentives with federal tax incentives and other programs like the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) or the City of San Diego’s Solar Equity Program for even greater savings.
Get Started Today by contacting sales@sonnen-batterie.com to learn more about joining the Solar Battery Savings Program in support of a cleaner energy future for everyone.
* The San Diego Community Power Solar Battery Savings Program offers an upfront rebate of $350/kWh for Community Power customers and up to $500/kWh for customers that are registered with CARE/FERA and/or are in a Communities of Concern are defined as low-income priority populations or areas identified by the City of San Diego and Chula Vista, or the top 25% scoring areas from CalEnviroScreen, which identifies communities burdened by pollution. Community Power Customers must agree to terms and conditions of the program, which include participating in grid services and earning ongoing payments for discharging their battery. Full details of the program can be found here.
** Savings and revenue shown are based on average results for one sonnenCore+ 20 kWh battery system. Actual amounts may vary. Ranges reflect varying performance based on customer enrollment options. The lower the battery buffer, the greater the financial benefits. The sonnen battery is professionally managed to offset daily peak period usage + maximize revenue from Community Power grid services. The “other Community Power battery performance” assumes other battery companies are using simple TOU management + Community Power participation during the 6pm – 8pm window only.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I join the San Diego Community Power program if I already have a solar system installed?
Yes! If you are an existing solar customer and interested in expanding your solar system and adding battery storage, then you are eligible for the upfront and performance incentives.
If I participate in Solar Battery Savings with Community Power, will my battery be available for use to offset my use of the grid or in the case of a power outage?
Yes! You have the option to select how much of your battery you’d like to enroll in the program, with a minimum of 50% usable capacity required to qualify for program participation. So, if you select to enroll 50%, you will still have 50% usable capacity remaining. sonnen will professionally manage your battery every day to ensure you are maximizing your savings using the additional battery capacity outside of SDCP. Additionally, sonnen monitor weather forecasts and power outages alerts and will proactively manage your battery to keep you powered when the grid goes down.
What if I decide to withdraw from the Solar Battery Savings program?
You are required to enroll for a 5-year minimum period. If you choose to unenroll within the first five years of participation, Community Power will recover a prorated amount of the upfront incentive, and you will forfeit all future performance incentives. You or your contractor can contact Community Power’s call center at 1-888-382-0169 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or email SolarBatterySavings@sdcommunitypower.org if you would like to unenroll from the program.
Will I still receive bill credits for excess power that is exported to the grid during the dispatch events?
Yes, the incentive offered by grid service program is additional and independent from the excess power credit under Net Energy Metering tariffs. You’ll continue receiving the same bill credit for exporting power to the grid after your enrollment in the Solar Battery Savings program.
Does this program impact any other incentives, such as federal tax rebates or Self-Generative Incentive Program “SGIP”)?
No! The Solar Battery Savings program does not have an impact on federal tax incentives or SGIP and can be stacked on top of those incentives to further lower the cost of the system. This program does not allow for enrollment in any other active dispatch programs, like the Emergency Load Relief Program (“ELRP”) or Demand Side Grid Support (“DSGS”).
