Discover exciting ways to earn rewards with our upcoming program. Enrollment starts soon — stay tuned!

Join Energy Storage Rewards and get paid to help support grid stability

Batteries help store clean energy or provide backup energy in case you need it. By enrolling a qualifying battery system in TEP’s Energy Storage Regards program, you’ll be rewarded for allowing TEP to use the energy stored in your battery during times of high demand.

Customers who enroll in TEP’s Energy Storage Rewards program receive $120 per kilowatt (kW), averaged over all events during the summer or winter season.* For a typical battery, this could be $360 per season, or $720 per year. Help reduce stress on the grid and earn rewards — it's a win-win!

Learn more about the program

How it Works

Sign up.

If you use a Tesla or SolarEdge battery storage system for your home, you may be eligible to participate. It’s a great way to be compensated for your investment, while supporting a cleaner energy future and affordable service.

Help make the grid more sustainable.

TEP will send signals to control batteries to support TEP’s clean energy goals and reduce the need for new power sources, keeping electric costs lower for everyone.

Earn compensation.

You will receive $120 per kilowatt (kW), averaged over all events during the season. Customers may receive an average of $360 per season. Actual compensation will vary based on the battery storage system size and performance.

Choose Your Battery

Watch this space for information coming soon from our partner, Tesla.

Enroll

Buy

A home battery energy storage system operates like a rechargeable AA or AAA battery, but at a much larger scale. Home battery systems can be charged when energy prices are lower and discharged when needed, such as when the power goes out (if your system configuration supports this) or when there is a battery event.

By enrolling in TEP’s Energy Storage Rewards, you will be compensated for allowing TEP to use the energy stored in your battery storage system at times of high demand. For a typical battery, customers could receive $360 per season, or $720 per year, in this program.* However, actual compensation paid is based on battery storage system size and the performance of the battery system during peak events. How well a battery system performs depends on the battery storage system size, configuration, and internet connection. Please consult with your battery system installer to estimate your compensation.

You must remain enrolled in the program through the end of the season, and your battery systems must remain connected to Wi-Fi to receive the seasonal compensation.

Use your battery to earn rewards and help reduce stress on the grid. Enroll today!

TEP does not approve or endorse any one device or vendor over another and is not responsible for vendors’ services and products.

* This program is a year-round program and consists of two seasons:

Summer season: May 1 – September 30
Winter season: October 1 – April 30

Frequently Asked Questions

Program Overview

What is the TEP Energy Storage Rewards program?

The TEP Energy Storage Rewards program is a utility program that compensates customers for sharing energy to the grid when the Tucson electric grid needs it. Customers are paid on a performance basis for the average kilowatt (kW) they share from their energy storage during dispatch events.
There can be up to 100 battery control events per year across two seasons.
1. Summer season: May 1 – September 30
2. Winter season: October 1 – April 30
Participants agree to battery adjustments throughout the year. Adjustments to battery systems will typically last no more than 4 hours.
You can decide the amount of energy that you want your battery to share, up to the full capacity of your battery. The more you share, the greater the compensation you can receive.
Control events can be called between 12:00 am -11:59 pm.

How will I know if I’m eligible to enroll?

To participate in TEP’s Energy Storage Rewards program, you must:

Be a TEP electric customer with electric service in your name.
You must also have a qualifying battery storage system controlled by a supported battery manufacturer, and your battery must perform in accordance with what is in your interconnection agreement (IA).
Allow your battery manufacturer to send signals to control batteries to make periodic adjustments to your battery’s charge and discharge schedule.
Maintain a reliable continuous internet connection with your installed battery.

Eligible Battery Storage Systems

Which batteries qualify for the program?

Please see the list of supported battery manufacturers and models below. You can also reach out to your installer to find the right solution for your household. Eligible systems include the following:

Manufacturer	Eligible Batteries
Tesla	Tesla Powerwall+, Powerwall 2 (inverter included), Powerwall 3
SolarEdge	SolarEdge SE3000H-US, SE3800H-US, SE6000H-US, SE7600H-US, SE10000H-US, SE11400H-US inverters paired with BAT-10K1P, LG CHEM RESU10H

Enrollment

Where can I find the Terms and Conditions for the program?

Provider	Terms and Conditions
Tesla	Terms and Conditions
SolarEdge	Terms and Conditions

How do I sign up for the program?

Tesla

Go to your Tesla app and you will see the “Virtual Powe Plant” program offer as an in-app banner.
Click on the “Virtual Power Plant” offer which will direct you to the program information page that includes program details.
Fill out your TEP account information to apply to the program.
Your Tesla app will let you know that your application is pending as it is being reviewed.
Once TEP has processed your application and if you are accepted, you will receive an in-app push notification that your application has been accepted.
If your system s ineligible for the program based on the provided information, you will receive an in-app notice with the option to re-apply.

SolarEdge

In the SolarEdge app, you can go into your “Incentives Programs” page and see if you are eligible to apply to TEP’s Energy Storage Rewards program.
After you click the in-app offer, you will be led to a browser page with program information where you can then click the “Sign Up” button.
Fill out your TEP account information to apply to the program.
You will receive an email to let you know your application has been received and is pending processing.
Once TEP has processed your application and if you are accepted, you will receive an email notification that your application has been accepted.
If there is an issue with your application or you are ineligible for the program, you will receive an email with the option to re-apply, if possible and what information would need to be corrected.

Events

How many events will there be per year?

Will I be notified of events?

Am I able to opt-out of an event? If so, what is the process?

Compensation

What is the compensation for participating?

How much can I earn each season?

How much you earn is based on the average kW your battery contributes per event. A typical home battery could contribute an average of 3 kW per event. For example, if there were 30 events per season and your battery averaged 3 kW per event, we would multiply that by $120 per kW for a total incentive of $360 for each season, or $720 per year.

Note that different batteries can contribute different amounts during events, and your battery must perform in accordance with your interconnection agreement.

How will I get paid?

Will I get my compensation if I unenroll before the end of the season?

Support

How can I ensure that I’ll still have backup energy if I need it?

Do I need to maintain an internet connection to my battery storage system?

Can I participate if I have a battery storage system only (without solar)?

Can I participate if I already have a solar PV system?

Customers with existing solar PV systems can add an energy storage system to their home to participate. However, storage cannot be easily added to every solar PV installation. Please ask your solar installer or inverter manufacturer for more details.

When you add a qualifying battery system to your existing solar PV system, your solar interconnection agreement will need to be updated. Please work with your solar installer or inverter manufacturer to complete this update.

How do I unenroll from TEP’s Energy Storage Rewards Program?