SOLRITE Brings Groundbreaking “Battery-Only” sonnen Virtual Power Plant Offer to Texas, Transforming the Lone Star State’s Energy Market Once Again

Designed for both “Solar Orphans” as well as homes without rooftop solar, SOLRITE’s pioneering battery-only VPP offer includes an “all-in” retail electricity rate of 12¢ per kWh from partner Abundance Energy, along with 60kWh of sonnen backup power to the home, for a nominal $20 a month!

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. and FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, SOLRITE Energy, a company specializing in financing, building and owning sonnen Virtual Power Plant Agreement (VPA) projects, launched their latest innovation for the Texas ERCOT market, a sonnen “battery-only” virtual power plant (VPP) offer, featuring 60kWh of sonnen energy storage per home and a 12¢ per kWh “all-in” retail energy rate, all for an unprecedented $20 per month fee. Already, 3,000 customers across Texas have joined the first-of-its-kind SOLRITE sonnen VPA. With the addition of the battery-only offer, by the end of 2026, SOLRITE and sonnen expect to sign up to 10,000 new customers on the VPA program, providing 600 MWh of dispatchable, flexible energy to the Texas energy system. This new SOLRITE product is unique and unmatched in the Texas ERCOT market, featuring superior backup power packaged with a compelling energy rate. SOLRITE sonnen Battery VPA offer is restricted to Texas “de-regulated utilities,” including Houston, Corpus Christi and McAllen.

“SOLRITE’s new ‘Battery-Only’ VPA product in Texas represents a major milestone for the growing VPP market in America,” said Blake Richetta, Chairman and CEO of sonnen Inc. USA. “Finally, the value of the VPP battery stands entirely on its own as a dispatchable grid balancing solution, by way of a deep grid services value stack, either added to an existing solar array or absent of solar entirely. It is through the robust VPP grid services value stack that the battery monetizes, enabling the extraordinary 12¢ per kWh retail rate and 60kWh of backup power for the end-user customer. For $20 per month, this unprecedented 60kWh product is affordable for most Texas families. With this product, the vast majority of the cost of the VPP Node is not shouldered by the end user, but is instead, paid for by the Texas energy system for value delivered.”

SOLAR ORPHANS
Retail electricity contracts in Texas typically last anywhere from 12 to 36 months. Compensation for solar injection into the grid, also known as a “Solar Buy-Back” in Texas, is offered as a component of certain retail electricity plans. At the end of any specific electricity contract, retail electric providers in Texas are not obligated to continue to offer a customer a Solar Buy-Back plan, as part of a new retail electricity contract. Therefore, in Texas, especially over time, it has become more difficult for retail electric providers to pay near retail prices for solar injection, resulting in Solar Buy-Backs gradually becoming less and less available in the market, leaving tens of thousands of solar customers with a “stranded” solar array. We refer to these folks as “Solar Orphans,” as they are left on the hook to continue to pay their Solar PPA production payments or loan payments for years to come, despite no longer being compensated for their constant daily solar injection into the grid.

But now, thanks to the pioneering SOLRITE sonnen Battery VPA offering, for zero dollars upfront and only $20 per month, orphaned solar customers can fortify their solar by leveraging sonnen’s industry leading batteries and software to bottle up their excess rooftop solar energy generated during the day and utilize this harnessed solar to energize their home in the evening – directly offsetting energy costs from the grid, where the customer would have otherwise “donated” their excess renewable energy. The harnessed solar, stored in sonnen batteries, will be focused on energizing the home during peak demand periods throughout the daily cycle, effectively synchronizing with the rhythm of the grid. Ultimately, the customer will consume the vast majority of their solar energy within their home, shaping the load to benefit Texas’s energy system while preventing solar from being injected into the grid at little to no compensation.

With a typical SOLRITE VPA home featuring an unprecedented 60 kWh sonnen energy reservoir, the customer will also benefit from substantial backup power and energy security in the face of extreme weather events and future grid failures.

“Many Texans who invested in rooftop solar have been left disappointed as shrinking buy-back programs and unpredictable retail plans eroded the savings they were promised,” explained Regan George, CEO and Founder of SOLRITE Energy. “Our new Battery-Only VPP, powered by 60 kWh of sonnen storage, gives those homeowners a way to capture and use their own energy for real value. And for non-solar customers, the same solution delivers robust backup power and an exceptional 12¢ all-in rate. For just $20 a month, SOLRITE is making reliable, resilient energy accessible to households across Texas.”

NO ROOFTOP SOLAR
Ratepayers who do not wish to or cannot install on-site rooftop solar can also sign up for the Battery-Only VPA for zero dollars down and $20 per month with no escalator, while benefiting from the 60kWh of backup power, as well as the extremely attractive 12¢ per kWh all-in retail electricity rate from SOLRITE-sonnen retail partner, Abundance Energy.

With a grid balancing capacity far exceeding that of solar + battery VPP nodes, pure sonnen battery nodes, with no rooftop solar, can function as a dispatchable load during times of excess generation in the grid. This innovative solution provides a form of reverse demand response for the grid, absorbing excess energy generated during low-demand periods and shifting it to meet customer needs during peak periods of high grid congestion, effectively acting as a large, coordinated grid load shift.

For example: on a windy and sunny spring day in Texas, where there is excess wind and solar energy traversing the grid, and insufficient load, SOLRITE sonnen Battery VPA clusters can act as giant dispatchable load sinks, swarm charging from the grid in a coordinated and precise manner, soaking up excess wind and solar power – sculpting demand to meet supply, instead of supply meeting demand. Thus, by helping to balance grid supply and demand through the careful load shaping of thousands of distributed energy systems, the SOLRITE sonnen Battery VPA enables greater penetration of utility-scale renewables in the grid, while reducing the need for peaking power plant generation and helping to better manage grid infrastructure.

A truly innovative offering, this battery-only VPA is a first-of-its-kind solution that will greatly impact the Texas energy market. Together, SOLRITE, sonnen and Abundance Energy are providing Texans with smarter, more sustainable energy solutions, while also dynamically balancing energy supply, ultimately maximizing value for both homeowners and the energy grid.

About sonnen
sonnen is one of the world's leading manufacturers of VPP-based energy storage systems and a pioneer of clean, decentralized and networked energy technologies. We are one of the fastest growing energy tech companies and we've received many internationally recognized awards including for our innovative virtual power plant. Our products and services are used by the sonnenCommunity, a collection of visionaries around the world who share our vision of clean and affordable energy for everyone. We have offices located in Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, and the USA. sonnen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell within its Renewables and Energy Solutions division. Learn more at: www.sonnenusa.com

About SOLRITE:
SOLRITE Energy is a clean energy financing company pioneering new ways to make solar and battery storage accessible to homeowners. Our flagship Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA), developed with sonnen, provides solar panels and home battery systems at no upfront cost in exchange for a low, fixed energy rate. By partnering with retail electric providers and technology companies, SOLRITE makes sustainable energy solutions accessible while supporting grid reliability. Visit solriteenergy.com for more information.

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