As data centers strain the power grid, utilities are scrambling to build new power plants. But a startup in California is one of a handful focusing on the problem from a different angle: building a network of batteries and solar panels at homes to relieve pressure on the grid more quickly.
In some cases, thanks to state funding, low-income homeowners can get the systems installed at no cost, and then start saving on their electric bills and have access to backup power if the grid goes down. Others pay a subscription that’s lower than their previous electric bill. Then the startup, called Haven, manages the flow of power back to the grid.
Why utilities see Haven’s network as a ‘mini power plant’
“We own and operate all the batteries,” says Haven CEO Vinnie Campo. (The company focuses on batteries, but also installs and owns connected rooftop solar panels at some homes.) “We’re then able to provide to the utility a fixed dispatch or fixed capacity from those batteries. They can almost think of it as building a mini power plant exactly where they need it.”
Haven works with utilities to identify spots in the grid that need help—substations that are overloaded, or feeder lines that are constrained—and then partners with the utility to find homeowners in those areas who are interested in installing new equipment at their homes.
In aggregate, thousands of coordinated batteries are a powerful tool. “It’s not that we actually need that much net new generation. What the grid really needs is more power at the right time,” Campo says. “The grid is mostly underutilized— it’s in the 30-40% range on a given day. Batteries are the most important part of the missing piece here, which is how you can absorb as much energy in the middle of the day when it’s being produced but not used, and shift that to later periods in the evening when you have a lot of electric demand coming online.”
A no-cost way for low-income homeowners to get batteries
For homeowners, there’s a clear incentive to participate as electric bills keep surging. In California, between 2019 and 2023, electricity rates rose by 47%. Customers who subscribe to Haven can get 20-30% savings on electric bills, helping ease the pain. For customers who qualify for state funding and install both solar and batteries, bills can drop by 90%.
“They see 80 to 90% bill savings because they don’t have to pay anything for it, but they’re getting all of the benefits of the solar and battery system,” says Campo.
