Virtual power plants in Texas

Tesla Electric (retail plan + Powerwall VPP)

Tesla sells retail electricity in Texas and, for Powerwall owners on its plan, runs their batteries based on real-time wholesale prices and grid demand, crediting the customer. In August 2026 Tesla also began offering a Powerwall 3 lease bundled with the plan.

Run by

Tesla

Where

Deregulated (retail choice) areas of ERCOT

Devices

Tesla Powerwall, Tesla vehicles (Powershare V2G, events planned)

Who can join

Customers in deregulated Texas retail electricity areas. Owned Powerwalls don't dispatch below the backup reserve the owner sets; Tesla's 2026 Powerwall lease bundle reserves at least 20% for outages (per pv magazine).

What it pays

Terms are set in the company's agreement. Check the company's current offer.

Last checked 2026-10-02

Base Power - Energy + Backup

Base installs and owns a large home battery and sells you electricity as your retail provider. It earns money by using the batteries to support the grid at peak times, and the battery backs up your home automatically in an outage.

Run by

Base Power Company (retail electric provider, PUCT License #10338)

Where

Competitive-choice areas, e.g. Oncor territory

Devices

Base-owned home battery (Base Core, 39.2 kWh)

Who can join

Homes in Base's Texas service areas (competitive-choice utilities such as Oncor). A 'Backup Only' option is offered in select areas.

What it pays

Terms are set in the company's agreement. Check the company's current offer.

Note: In April 2026, Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative and Base announced that their battery fleet takes part in ERCOT's ADER pilot.

Last checked 2026-10-02

Base Power for Austin Energy customers

Austin Energy customers keep their utility and normal Austin Energy rates, and Base installs a battery that backs up the home automatically. At peak times Austin Energy can draw on the batteries to support the grid.

Run by

Base Power Company with Austin Energy

Where

Austin Energy

Devices

Base-owned home battery (about 40 kWh)

Who can join

Austin Energy residential customers; capacity is limited.

What it pays

Terms are set in the company's agreement. Check the company's current offer.

Last checked 2026-10-02

Austin Energy Power Partner Thermostats

Austin Energy can briefly adjust enrolled smart thermostats during peak periods, and customers get bill credits for enrolling and staying enrolled.

Run by

Austin Energy

Where

Austin Energy

Devices

smart thermostats, EV charging (separate Power Partner EV)

Who can join

Austin Energy homeowners and renters with their own account and central AC or heat pump; up to five thermostats.

What it pays

$75 bill credit per enrolled thermostat, plus $30 annual credit per thermostat that stays enrolled; separate $50 rebate for buying a new eligible thermostat.

Last checked 2026-10-02

CPS Energy My Battery Rewards

CPS Energy notifies enrolled customers by email, phone and text during grid emergencies and asks them to deploy their batteries, paying a credit for each event.

Run by

CPS Energy

Where

CPS Energy (San Antonio)

Devices

customer-owned home batteries

Who can join

CPS Energy residential customers who own a battery system they can deploy on request. Offered year-round.

What it pays

$10 bill credit per event.

Last checked 2026-10-02

TXU Energy + Sunrun residential battery aggregation

TXU Energy customers with Sunrun solar and batteries can opt in to have their batteries dispatched together at peak times, earning an incentive while keeping TXU's solar buyback credits.

Run by

TXU Energy (Vistra) and Sunrun

Where

TXU Energy retail customers

Devices

Sunrun home solar + batteries

Who can join

TXU Energy customers with installed Sunrun solar and batteries; participation is optional.

Note: Announced Sept 11, 2024; current enrollment status and incentive amount weren't confirmed on an official 2026 page. Treat status as unconfirmed.

Last checked 2026-10-02

Aggregate Distributed Energy Resource (ADER) Pilot

ERCOT lets companies bundle many small batteries into one 'aggregate' resource that can sell energy and ancillary services in the wholesale market. Homeowners don't sign up with ERCOT directly; they join through a participating retail electricity provider or aggregator.

Run by

ERCOT

Devices

home batteries, other aggregated distributed energy resources

Who can join

Homes served by a retail provider or aggregator that participates in the pilot. The registered capacity limit was raised from 200 MW to 500 MW in March 2026; ERCOT reported 249 MW qualified as of August 2026.

Note: A Phase 4 proposal (Aug 2026) would add nodal dispatch of aggregated batteries. ERCOT's documents don't name the participating companies.

Last checked 2026-10-02

Austin Energy Power Partner - Battery pilot

Homeowners who buy a battery get an upfront incentive and then let Austin Energy use the stored energy during peak demand, earning an ongoing incentive.

Run by

Austin Energy

Where

Austin Energy

Devices

customer-owned home batteries

Who can join

Austin Energy residential customers buying and installing a home battery; the pilot is limited to 1,500 approved systems.

What it pays

$500 upfront toward a new battery, plus an average of more than $300 a year for peak-time use (reported March 2026).

Note: Source is an industry association blog post (Mar 26, 2026); the official Austin Energy battery page couldn't be loaded.

Last checked 2026-10-02