Sunrun Leads Record Grid Dispatch Delivering Enough Energy to Power Every Home in San Francisco and San Jose
Sunrun and Tesla delivered record residential battery power to California’s grid during a heat wave, with 745 MW on October 6—enough to power San Francisco and San Jose homes during peak hours.
Sunrun, the largest U.S. provider of home battery storage, partnered with Tesla to dispatch 669 megawatts of residential battery power to California’s grid on October 5, 2026, at the request of the California Energy Commission and utilities. The discharge occurred during evening peak periods to support grid stability amid a prolonged heat wave, increasing the grid’s operating margin and reducing real-time energy prices. The event marked the first time California’s Demand Side Grid Support and Emergency Load Reduction Program called for concurrent dispatches across all investor-owned utility territories.
On October 6, 2026, Sunrun and Tesla surpassed the previous record by delivering 745 megawatts of peak power to California’s grid, enough to power every household in San Francisco and San Jose combined during peak hours. The dispatches were triggered after the California Independent System Operator’s day-ahead locational marginal electricity price exceeded $200 per megawatt-hour. Sunrun CEO Mary Powell stated the events demonstrate how existing home battery infrastructure can deliver grid-scale power when needed most.
The October 5 and 6 dispatches surpassed the prior residential distributed power plant record of 580 megawatts, set on September 9, 2026, which itself broke a 539-megawatt record from July 2025. Sunrun has enrolled over 120,000 residential batteries in California to support grid reliability, with Tesla and Everyday Electric planning to add nearly 21,000 more devices through a Google-funded initiative with PG&E.
The new Google-funded distributed power plant, focused on San Jose, aims to test how localized distributed energy resources can provide grid relief and meet rising electricity demand. Initial dispatching is expected to begin this month, highlighting the growing role of residential batteries and solar in managing peak demand and reducing reliance on new power plants.