CONNECT WITH US
Climate & Energy

Climate & Energy

The People Speak: We Want Energy Storage, Not Data Centers

CleanTechnica logo

Published on

Add as a preferred source on Google
The People Speak: We Want Energy Storage, Not Data Centers

Wealth disparity in the US is playing out in the energy sector in all caps. On the one hand, grassroots groups across the country are furiously pushing back against AI data centers as energy-sucking representatives of centralized wealth and power. On the other, the rising popularity of home energy storage systems indicates that individual households are eager to take advantage of new technologies that represent granular, democratized power. Just look at the numbers…

As one measure of the confluence between home energy storage and the democratization of energy systems, consider the case of the leading rooftop solar firm Sunrun. During Climate Week in New York City last month, I dropped in on an event featuring Sunrun CEO Mary Powell, interviewed by Fortune magazine Executive Editorial Director Diane Brady.

During the interview, Powell noted that Sunrun has made a sharp pivot. While holding on to its rooftop solar business, Sunrun now presents itself as a storage-forward venture. That makes sense in today’s environment, when households are scrambling to save money on their utility bills. Although rooftop solar is the sweet spot for home energy storage, batteries are source-agnostic. Anyone with a grid connection and a utility discount program can potentially cut costs with a home battery.

The pivot into energy storage is not the beginning of the story for Sunrun, though. The focus on individual customers is.

Powell referred to Sunrun polls showing that roughly 2/3 of its customers value clean tech for non-environmental reasons. The field is split at about 66% for the value of control and independence, with the planet following at 33%.


Source link
Related Topics:Climate & Energy

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We TheMorningPulse.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.