Pacific Northwest homeowners have an opportunity to lower their reliance on dirty energy and provide clean energy to their communities, all while getting paid to do so.

Electrek reports that SolarEdge, which makes solar batteries for home use, is now an approved partner for the Wattsmart Battery program. That program provides incentives to Washington and Oregon homeowners who install solar batteries.

Under the program, homeowners can get paid up to $3,000 per SolarEdge battery if they allow Pacific Power to use their stored energy to help support the grid. Homeowners can earn $600 per kilowatt, up to that $3,000 limit, for up to two batteries.

Commercial customers can also earn money at the same rate, but with a higher cap of 30 kilowatts.

In exchange for the payments, Pacific Power gets additional clean energy that lets it regulate and balance the grid in real time.

SolarEdge North America general manager Mary Rogers told Electrek: “It’s a smarter, cleaner, and more cost-effective way to maximize backup power and savings.”

The program isn’t only for newly installed solar panels, either. Pacific Power says existing solar customers who add a battery can take part in the program and that it won’t impact their current rates.

Pacific Power also runs similar programs in other states. Other power companies, such as Rocky Mountain Power, also run similar “virtual power plant” programs that pay homeowners.

Battery storage can be important when combined with renewable-energy sources, such as solar and wind. The sun doesn’t shine all day, and every minute isn’t windy, so solar and wind provide energy intermittently. Battery storage allows that energy to be available at all times, even during blackouts.

Virtual power plants are becoming more common among energy companies. By using software to connect multiple small-scale power sources, such as storage batteries or wind turbines, companies create these virtual plants, which combine into a large network of clean energy that can provide power to all customers around the clock.

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