Sunrun’s ‘storage-first’ strategy sees green shoots in Q3

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Sunrun solar panels.
Sunrun has posted revenue of US$724.6 million, marking the third consecutive quarter of growth this year. Image: Sunrun.

US residential solar and energy storage installer Sunrun has posted revenue of US$724.6 million in the third quarter of this year, marking the third consecutive quarter of revenue growth this year as the company implements its “storage-first strategy”.

The company’s revenue has grown from the US$569 million reported in the previous quarter, and represents a 35% year-on-year increase over the US$537.2 million recorded in the third quarter of 2024. This comes as the company shifts its focus towards residential battery energy storage system (BESS) deployments, with the energy storage attachment rate—the percentage of solar projects installed with co-located BESS—holding steady at 70% in the third quarter.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

This is ten percentage points higher than in the third quarter of 2024, and reflects a consistent increase in storage attachment rate, as shown in the graph below. The company has shifted its focus from residential solar installations to BESS installations, and the 412MWh of new storage capacity added in the third quarter of 2025 is a 23% increase over the same quarter in the previous year.

The graph also shows that, while solar capacity additions are lower in 2025 than in previous years, the trend in quarterly capacity additions remains unchanged from 2024. The third quarter saw 239MW of new residential solar capacity added, and as was the case in 2024, the capacity added has increased in every quarter.

Sunrun’s other key performance metric—number of subscribers—continued to tick upwards, with 30,104 new subscribers to the company’s products in the third quarter. While this is a 1% year-on-year decrease compared to the third quarter of 2024, it is a marginal improvement over the 28,823 new subscribers added in the second quarter of 2025 and puts the company’s total subscriber base at 971,085.

These positive figures have helped minimise the company’s losses over the last year. In the third quarter of 2025, Sunrun’s losses stood at US$277.8 million, compared to losses of US$412.2 million in the third quarter of 2024. Indeed, the company’s operations generated a profit of US$3.7 million in the third quarter of the year, contrasting with a loss of US$223.5 million in the first nine months of the year.

Notably, Sunrun has generated US$1.2 billion in proceeds in the first nine months of the year, double the US$557.1 million generated in the first nine months of 2024.

Sunrun has also effectively monetised tax credit transfers, which have formed an increasingly lucrative part of the US clean energy space. US thin-film manufacturer First Solar has made headlines for exceeding US$2 billion in tax credit transfer value. In comparison, Sunrun’s proceeds from the sale of investment tax credits (ITCs) reached US$295.8 million in the third quarter of this year, up from US$222.9 million in the same period in 2024.

13 October 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 13-14 October 2026 is our fourth PV CellTech conference dedicated to solar manufacturing in the USA. From polysilicon, wafers, ingots, cells and modules, to critical component suppliers including glass and frames, the event connects every stage of the value chain under one roof. PV CellTech USA also brings together investors, innovators, manufacturers and industry stakeholders to collaborate and strengthen domestic solar manufacturing across the United States.

Read Next

July 9, 2026
The maximum price for renewable energy projects awarded Contracts for Difference (CfD) under the UK government's Allocation Round 8 (AR8) auction has remained at £75/MWh (US$100/MWh).
July 8, 2026
Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) has brought 525MW of solar capacity online in Oklahoma, with a further 200MW under construction.
July 8, 2026
Canada-based renewables company Polaris Renewable Energy has executed a mixed investment agreement for a 250MW solar-plus-storage portfolio in Mexico.
July 7, 2026
US solar cell manufacturer ES Foundry has completed the expansion of a 2GW solar cell production line at its Greenwood, South Carolina facility.
July 7, 2026
Spanish IPP Opdenergy has secured US$227 million to support its operating renewable energy portfolio in Chile.
July 7, 2026
Multinational solar manufacturer Canadian Solar has appointed a new CEO at its solar and energy storage project development subsidiary, Recurrent Energy.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
April 20, 2027
Istanbul, Türkiye