Solrite targets 1,000 Illinois households in virtual power plant expansion this year

Ameren

20/08/2026 13:00

Aug 20 (Reuters) - Residential energy company Solrite Energy said on Thursday it expects to enroll up to 1,000 Illinois households in its virtual power plant program by year end, as it bets that rising electricity costs would drive demand for home battery systems.
The program links home battery systems to a virtual power plant, allowing them to be coordinated as a single resource to help manage electricity demand and support the power grid.
Here are more details:
The company aims to expand to about 5,000 households in 2027 as it rolls out the program across the service territories of utilities ComEd and Ameren Illinois, a subsidiary of Ameren Corp AEE.N.
Solrite finances, owns and operates residential solar and battery systems, allowing customers to buy electricity under long-term power purchase agreements rather than purchasing equipment outright.
The company said its Illinois offering combines rooftop solar installations with 60-kilowatt-hour battery systems that can store excess electricity and supply power during outages or periods of high demand.
The move comes after Illinois ended full retail net metering for new solar customers in 2025 and as households face rising electricity costs, the company said.
With the Illinois launch, Solrite has expanded into its fifth U.S. market after Texas, California, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Solrite said its virtual power plant network includes more than 7,500 homes nationwide, with more than 370 megawatt-hours of battery storage capacity and over 9,000 active projects.

 (Reporting by Varun Sahay in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
 ((Varun.Sahay@thomsonreuters.com;))