SolarCity announced that it is offering a Smart Energy Home program to residential customers in Hawaii.
The program includes solar PV, battery storage, smart electric water heaters and the Nest Learning Thermostat -- all coordinated by a home gateway that controls the battery, water heater, thermostat and inverter to maximize solar PV generation and self-consumption.
SolarCity’s smart energy home management system combines solar with batteries to store excess electricity generated from the solar power system during the day, then deliver it to the home at night. The dynamically-controlled smart electric water heater uses solar PV to heat water during the day and store it for later use in the home. Altogether, the Smart Energy Home uses the battery, smart electric water heater and controllable Nest Learning Thermostat to automatically modify energy usage based on how much solar power is available to prevent energy from being exported back to the grid.
The Smart Energy Home offer is available by lease and by cash purchase,