SolarCity launches new utility and grid services

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
SolarCity's large-scale solar solutions provide utilities a more cost-effective way to generate power, with the option of adding storage for additional savings. Source: SolarCity

SolarCity, best known for its services in the US for providing residential and commercial rooftop solar, today announced a new set of services targeted at utility and grid operators. The PV provider will be branching into installation, financing and consulting services for utility-scale solar as well as energy storage development. In conjunction, SolarCity will be advancing controls for distributed energy resources, demand response and aggregated grid services, to form a full network of solar-related activities.

The company said it now offers turnkey delivery of solar power via wholesale contracts and direct grid tied solar power systems, which utilities looking to generate additional capacity can leverage to meet renewable portfolio standards (RPS) or other mandates as desired. The process is wholly managed by SolarCity, including financing, design and installation to optimisation and system maintenance.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

On the distributed energy resources front, grid planners and operators have increased flexibility to modernise the grid. SolarCity is now going to design aggregated DER portfolios to address specific grid service needs through dynamic capacity and peak shaving, flexible ramping and spinning reserves, voltage and reactive power support and frequency regulation. These solutions are also supplemented by deploying energy storage which provides backup power to critical loads, thus improving reliability and resiliency during outages. Southern California Edison utility has partnered with SolarCity to pilot these aggregated DER portfolios.

In addition, SolarCity is offering visibility of the grid edge across all of its systems and the software and control platform, GridLogic, allowing customers to monitor and control a significant portion of DERs on their grid.

SolarCity has also launched dispatchable utility-scale energy storage solution. The combination will arguably aid utilities in avoiding capacity charges and enable them to manage peak load at a more cost-effective rate, as compared with traditional non-renewable solutions.

These new services from the soon-to-be thin-film manufacturer have already been tested by several utilities. The most recent being Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (CMEEC), who partnered with SolarCity to install 13MW of solar power systems and at least 1.5MW of energy storage.

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), the Hawaii-based consumer owned electrical utility, previously installed a 12MW utility-scale solar system with SolarCity, and is currently implementing a 13MW solar and 52MWh storage facility. 

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

July 3, 2025
US tracker manufacturer GameChange Solar has introduced the Genius Tracker TF, a new terrain-following solar tracker system designed to deliver “the industry’s lowest grading requirement on challenging terrain.” 
July 1, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Arevon Energy has closed a US$600 million credit facility to support its solar PV and energy storage portfolio in the US.
June 30, 2025
Heliene has completed the sale of Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credits in association with Minnesota-based U.S. Bank.
June 30, 2025
Voting on the US tax reconciliation bill is expected to begin in the Senate today, following a draft published on Friday that hit clean energy tax credits hard.
June 30, 2025
US clean energy developer Clearway Energy Group has received corporate credit facilities over US$1 billion.
June 26, 2025
A round-up of news from the US solar sector this week, including Akuo, Meta and RWE.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK