Distributed batteries get legislative, utility lift in California

• Ava Community Energy launched an $11.25 million incentive program last week for residential customers installing solar and battery storage in their homes.
• The Oakland, California-based community choice aggregator’s SmartHome Battery program allows customers to share up to 80% of their home batteries, Ava said Thursday. Ava said it will provide rebates of $500/kWh for income-qualified customers and $90/kWh for customers who don’t meet income qualifications on the portion of the battery they choose to share.
• The utility’s announcement came two days after California legislators advanced a bill that would update state resource adequacy rules to allow aggregated distributed energy devices like stationary residential batteries and electric vehicles to qualify as resource adequacy capacity. 

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