When you purchase a Generac PWRcell, you may be able to enroll in the Connected Solutions program. This program, where available, allows your utility to utilize your PWRcell during the summer to reduce grid strain. In exchange for your participation, your utility will pay you at the end of the year. The amount you get paid is based on your utility incentive rate and how much your battery contributes during high demand days.
*This is not a guarantee of performance. The amount your battery contributes during high demand days can fluctuate based on your battery settings and how long the utility calls on your battery, among other factors.
** The incentives listed in this table represent the most up-to-date incentives from the listed utilities. Customers that applied in the past, may receive a different incentive rate. Utilities hold the incentive rate constant for five years, from the time you applied, subject to on-going regulatory approval.
***The estimated incentive range is based on 80% of an 18 kWh battery participating every time the utility calls on the battery to reduce grid strain. The low incentive value in the range assumes the utility calls on the battery for three hours. The high incentive value in the range assumes the utility calls on the battery for two hours.
****The enrollment incentive is a one-time payment available to Eversource customers in New Hampshire only, funded by the New Hampshire Clean Energy Fund. Funding is limited. Visit Eversource's Clean Energy Fund Home Battery Incentives page for current funding availability and full program requirements.
Connected Solutions is a program in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island where utilities partner with participating homeowners to harness clean energy during times of peak energy use, to help alleviate stress on the power grid.
During the day, when the sun is shining, your PWRcell captures and stores energy from your solar panels. Then, during peak usage hours, your utility may use batteries enrolled in the program to help the grid.
Click here to share information about your utility account and accept the utility's program terms and conditions. Questions email GridProgramSupport@generac.com.
Once you apply and your utility accepts you into the program, Generac will notify you that you have been accepted into the program. After this confirmation, you do not need to take any further action. Your PWRcell will automatically participate in this program when called upon by the utility. To learn what you can do to maximize your incentive, see the FAQs section.
*See the utility’s terms and conditions for full program details.
You can participate in Connected Solutions if you have an installed and operational Generac PWRcell Battery Storage System or PWRcell 2 Solar Battery Storage System, with or without solar, and you:
Each utility sets its own terms and conditions. Eligibility requirements, incentive rates and program dates differ by utility. Read the terms and conditions for your utility to see the full eligibility requirements that apply to you:
All five programs share these requirements. You must:
Sign up on the Connected Solutions enrollment form and your local utility will review your information to determine eligibility. Both Generac and your utility must accept your application before you are enrolled.
Note: Customers in select areas of National Grid's Massachusetts territory and Eversource's Massachusetts territory may be eligible for ConnectedSolutions+, a limited-time offer that pays extra incentives for supporting the local grid. Your utility will notify you if you are eligible after your enrollment is complete.
To unenroll you can email GridProgramSupport@generac.com
Yes. Outage Guard is how your PWRcell system prepares for one.
What Outage Guard is
Outage Guard is a feature of your PWRcell system that gets your battery ready before the power goes out. It reads weather data for your area, and when the risk of a weather-related outage runs high, it charges your battery and holds it at a full charge, so the stored energy is waiting if the utility goes down. Outage Guard checks the forecast once a day and returns your system to normal charging and discharging once the risk passes. This is the method we recommend for keeping backup power available through an outage.
What happens when an outage is predicted
Preparing for an outage comes ahead of everything else your system does, including a Connected Solutions event. Your PWRcell system holds its charge instead of discharging to the grid, which keeps that energy available for your home.
Your battery then carries your home through the outage.
Can I change how this works?
You can disable Outage Guard in the ecobee by Generac app.
Within PWRview you can set how much energy you want to reserve for backup power. As you lower this slider, there will be more energy provided to the power grid when the utility calls on your PWRcell to contribute. The most common setting utilized by customers and installers is 20%. However, if you are less concerned about maintaining energy in your battery to provide backup power, you can lower this to zero for PWRcell 2 and five percent for PWRcell 1 to maximize the incentive you earn in Connected Solutions.
Your PWRcell system does the work. Generac and your utility send a dispatch signal when demand on the local grid climbs, your battery discharges during the window, and your payment follows what it delivered. Your system handles all of it without input from you.
When events happen
Events fall inside the summer demand response season, June 1 through September 30. Each utility sets its own limit on how many events it can call and how long a window runs. Those limits are in your utility's terms and conditions.
What your system does ahead of the event
Your PWRcell system automatically charges before the event, pulling from your solar array whenever the sun is producing. The target is a full battery at the start of the event.
What your system does during the window
Your battery discharges to the grid and keeps going until the event ends or until it reaches your backup reserve, whichever comes first. When the window closes, your system picks up its everyday routine and recharges.
What you get paid
Your payment reflects what your battery delivered across the season. Your solar production, your system settings, connectivity to the internet, and your household energy use all affect that total, so Generac cannot promise a performance level or a dollar amount.