Tesla Electric User Reports Earning $150 in One Day

Early Tesla Electric adopters are making money back on electricity sold to the Texas grid, especially amidst significant summer heat waves in recent weeks. Using Powerwalls, Tesla Electric automatically buys and sells energy back to the electrical grid for you during on-peak and off-peak hours — and some users are finding it pretty lucrative.

Above: Teslas at a Supercharger station (Image: Casey Murphy / EVANNEX).

One Tesla Powerwall customer shared making as much as $150 in one day from an electric pilot program, as shared in a LinkedIn post from Yotta Energy Vice President Jonathan Blackburn earlier this week (via electrek). The post leads to a Twitter thread in which several users share their experiences, including one customer’s screenshot of the Tesla Electric app showing that they sold electricity for more than $5 per kWh during peak hours.

@ERCOT_ISO power prices are soaring! #TeslaElectric plan members are helping the grid with exports from #Powerwall 👇#VPP @Tesla @teslaenergy @PUCTX #txlege @TLGCarrie @douglewinenergy @ericwg @J_Blackburn81 https://t.co/4i5UP7DIbZ pic.twitter.com/pHzrL8DVMV

— ArushiSF (@ArushiSF) June 20, 2023

The electricity program is currently being tested as part of an Aggregate Distributed Energy Resource (ADER) pilot program, run by the state grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Through the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program, the company can access as much as 6MW through the distributed battery network.

Enrolling in the program, which requires the installation of a Powerwall, essentially makes Tesla Electric a person’s energy retailer. Tesla Electric was officially launched last year, just months after the company performed similar VPP trials in California. While the company used specific energy events to test its California VPP program, Tesla Electric lets users gain a buffer against peak prices continuously.

Currently, Tesla Electric is only available to residents of Texas, though the company says it plans to expand its utility provider services in the future. Those who want to sign up for Tesla Electric must have at least one Powerwall and solar panels. Users can sign up in the Tesla Electric app, once solar panels and a Powerwall are installed.

The California VPP program is held in collaboration with Edison Energy and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), offering occasional events in which users can participate. In one of the events, over 3,600 homes participated in forming a giant, distributed battery that contributed as much as 24MW back to the electrical grid.

While peak prices for these events were less than those seen for Tesla Electric users in recent weeks, California VPP participants could still earn around $2 per kWh during the events. Most users could expect to gain electricity rebates between $10 and $60 for a single event.

In any case, it’ll be interesting to see how Tesla Electric expands in the coming years. If nothing else, the recent developments seem to be a testament to its potential for success and it may drive more consumers to want to enroll.

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