Google, Tesla, Sunrun, and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) have launched a new virtual power-plant program in California focused on using home energy devices to support the grid during periods of high demand.
Announced earlier this month, the initiative is called Smart Home Assets for Reliability and Efficiency, or SHARE. PG&E said the program will operate in Santa Clara and Alameda counties and will be fully funded by Google. It is designed to bring together home battery energy storage systems, smart devices, and battery-enabled heat pumps to reduce energy use when electricity demand is high.
According to PG&E:
"The model is designed to create additional capacity, support reliability and help put downward pressure on rates while participating households save money through smarter energy management with next-generation home technology. SHARE is a first-of-its-kind VPP proof-of-concept that combines enrollment of existing home energy devices with regional deployment of privately funded new electrification technologies to address growing electric demand."
PG&E said the program is intended as a proof-of-concept to show how targeted investments can improve reliability, expand capacity, support new energy users, and make better use of home energy resources alongside continued grid investment.
PG&E is working with Tesla, Sunrun, and Renew Home to enroll about 21,000 existing flexible energy devices into the program. The stated goal is to give participating households additional ways to manage energy costs and earn rewards for smart features they already use, while shifting demand during peak periods and helping make better use of existing infrastructure.
The resource is expected to begin supporting the grid as early as this fall and run through 2027. Initial findings are expected to be shared either late this year or early 2027.
A spokesperson said the program can deploy 12MW during periods of peak electricity demand, and that participating Sunrun customers benefit from $200-per-battery enrolled in the program.
The companies involved include:
Carrier is serving as the launch partner for deployments and is supplying its battery-enabled heat pump system, including the Carrier Performance Series Variable-Speed Heat Pump with EnerSync. According to the website, customers can receive $5,000 off the Carrier system, while 25 households will receive $10,000 off.
Rewiring America will work directly with households to deploy and enroll technologies into SHARE that can serve as flexible grid resources while improving the customer experience.
The company said it will also work closely with local installers to ensure projects meet high quality and performance standards.
The launch comes as California lawmakers advance two virtual power plant bills. Senate Bill (SB) 905 would establish a grid utilization metric measuring the load factor across each segment of the state’s distribution network. SB 913 would require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to develop a valuation methodology for customer-sited BESS to export electricity onto the grid during periods of system strain.
The bills are expected to receive Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature. At the same time, Newsom’s administration also blocked an effort to continue funding the Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) program.
DSGS is California’s current VPP program and achieved more than 1GW of participation from customer batteries in 2025, including Sunrun and Tesla-installed systems. Participants will transition to the CPUC’s Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP), "a five-year pilot program designed to compensate electricity consumers for reducing energy consumption or increasing electricity supply during electrical grid emergencies."
Sunrun, Tesla, and Renew Home have also announced similar programs outside California. In June, the companies announced an agreement to deliver more than 16GW of flexible energy capacity to PJM hyperscalers and utilities.
In the same month, VPP operator and DER platform Voltus and Google signed a partnership agreement under which Voltus will aggregate up to 100MW of DERs annually from local businesses and residences into a Google-funded VPP. Voltus will compensate customers who participate in the program, "transforming Google’s capacity demand into tangible economic benefits for PJM customers."
Earlier this year, Sunrun and Tesla also worked together in Puerto Rico. Alongside residential solar installer SunStrong Management, they received approval from the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau for their motion to auto-enroll participants in an emergency capacity resource program.
