Tesla Virtual Power Plant Powered by Rocky Mountain Power
Join the Tesla Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and support the Rocky Mountain Power grid while earning money and maintaining your energy security. Learn about the benefits, eligibility, requirements, compensation and more.
Overview of the Program
The Tesla Virtual Power Plant (VPP) connects communities of homes with Powerwall to enhance Rocky Mountain Power’s grid reliability and resiliency. By joining the Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart Battery program, your Powerwall will dispatch excess energy to the grid when needed. Over the four-year program, earn up to $2,518 for your enrollment and participation, including $2,000 upfront, assuming you’ve enrolled one Powerwall 3 in the program. Your Powerwall will automatically adjust its Backup Reserve and VPP Event Backup Reserve to support your successful participation in this program. The program dictates your Powerwall will never be dispatched below 10%, ensuring you always have energy in case of outages. Eligibility for the enrollment incentive is dependent on when your Powerwall system was installed.
Benefits
- Earn Compensation: Get paid $2,000 as an initial enrollment incentive in your first year.
- Maintain Your Energy Security: Powerwall will never discharge below the Program’s VPP Backup Reserve, ensuring you always have backup power.
- Stabilize Rocky Mountain Power's Grid: The extra capacity your Powerwall provides can help support clean energy goals and reduce the need for new power sources, keeping electric costs lower for your community.
- Unite as a Tesla Community: Team up with other Powerwall owners in the Wattsmart Battery program to build a more reliable grid.
Eligibility
New Powerwall owners are eligible to participate if you:
- Are at least 18 years of age
- Have a residential electric account in good standing with Rocky Mountain Power
- Have a complete interconnection application for Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with Rocky Mountain Power and remain compliant with interconnection requirements
- Have a Powerwall 3 system installed at your property
Enrollment
To participate, you will need to apply to Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart Battery Program.
Once your Powerwall 3 has been commissioned and your Wattsmart Battery Program application has been approved by Rocky Mountain Power, you will need to open your Tesla app, tap on the Virtual Power Plant banner, enter your name and accept the Terms and Conditions. If you are eligible to enroll, you’ll receive the program offer in the Tesla app within 10 days of completing your Wattsmart application online. If you don’t see the program offer in the Tesla app within 10 days, check your eligibility above.
Membership
Upon enrollment, Rocky Mountain Power will call upon the VPP when the grid needs additional capacity. Events are called in real-time and may be called as follows:
- Any time of day
- Any time of year
- Typically, five minutes in length
What to Expect
- Before the Event: Your battery will operate as normal until an event is called.
- During the Event: Your Powerwall will discharge to support the grid until the event ends or it reaches your VPP Backup Reserve level.
- After the Event: Powerwall resumes normal operation.
Controlling Your Participation
Powerwall gives you insight into your participation:
- See Your Backup Reserve: The VPP Backup Reserve setting is there to control your energy contribution during events. The program dictates your Backup Reserve will be 10% ensuring you always have some energy available in case of an outage.
- Program Info Page: Tesla wants you to always understand the details of the program you’re enrolled in. At any time, you can access program information in the Tesla app through the Virtual Power Plant banner.
- Event History: Most events will be in real-time, and extremely short in duration. This will mean you likely won’t have any notice before an event starts but you also won't see much impact to the total amount of energy available in your Powerwall. You can see your event history in the app.
Compensation
Powerwall 3 owners who submitted their net metering application through Power Clerk on or after September 1, 2025 are eligible for up $2,000 in upfront incentives. Your enrollment incentive is based on $400 per kW output of your device and is capped at $2,000 per household. Starting in year two, you will earn $15 per kW, nameplate power capacity of your system, paid monthly as an energy bill credit.1 That is $172.50 per Powerwall 3 you have installed through the four-year term. If your battery was installed before September 1, 2025 you may still be eligible to participate starting early 2026 but will only receive the ongoing incentive. Contact Rocky Mountain Power for more details.
If you have Powerwall + or Powerwall 2 installed, you are not eligible for this program.
| Model | Nameplate Capacity | First Year Incentive | Annual Bill Credit Years After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powerwall 3 | 11.5 kW | $2,000 cap2 | $172.50 annually per Powerwall 3 |
The program is initially available for a minimum of four years.
Participation Agreement
Rocky Mountain Power (“the Utility”) created a virtual power plant “(VPP”) program called Wattsmart Battery Program (the “Program”) to help reduce stress on the electrical grid, supported by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”). This Program compensates eligible customers for supplying energy from their Powerwall back to the grid. Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) supports this Program, which is open to customers with one or more eligible Tesla Powerwall(s) (each, a “Device”) that Tesla will control during demand response events (each, an “Event”). Your participation is subject to your agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions with Tesla (“Terms”). By clicking “Accept Enrollment” you (“You” or “Participant”) acknowledge that You have read these Terms and agree to be legally bound by them.
Eligibility and Enrollment
Upon completing the necessary information and agreeing to the Terms, Tesla will submit Your application to Your Utility. Your Utility in its sole discretion shall accept or reject Your participation in the Program. Eligibility criteria at a minimum includes that you:
- Are at least 18 years of age
- End-user must have an residential electric account in good standing with the Utility
- End-User must have a complete interconnection application for BESS with the Utility and remain compliant with interconnection requirements
- Have authority to control the Device as set out in Section 2
Authority
You should not participate in the Program unless You have the authority to control the Device(s) and are the customer of record for the utility account associated with the address at which the Device is installed (“Customer of Record”). By accepting these Terms, You confirm that You have the authority to control the Device and are the Customer of Record, and that Tesla and the Utility can rely on those confirmations in connection with the Program.
Grant Of Control Over Your Device
By accepting these Terms, You grant Tesla remote access to control the enrolled Device to automatically charge and/or discharge the Device, during an Event. Tesla may charge or discharge Your Device at any time and to any level but will make efforts to respect Your preferences as configured in the Tesla app, like VPP Backup Reserve During Events and Event opt-out, as applicable.
Term
This Agreement will commence upon the date that You accept these terms and conditions and will continue for 1 year (the “Term”). Thereafter, the Term shall automatically be extended for additional renewal terms of one (1) year each, each anniversary thereof, until either You or Tesla terminates this Agreement as allowed under these Terms.
Program Events
Events will be called subject to the “Program Rules,” which you will be required to review and accept in accordance with this Agreement and a copy of which may be found by clicking the link at the bottom of this page with link title: “Program Terms”. Tesla will control the Device to respond during Events and will make reasonable efforts to maximize performance within Your preferences as configured in the Tesla app.
Compensation
The Program provides compensation based on the nameplate capacity of Your Device(s). You acknowledge and agree that Tesla does not guarantee any specific level of compensation from Your participation. The calculation of the performance and compensation is defined by the Utility in the Program Rules published on their website. You agree that the Utility will provide payment to You (“Compensation”) for Your Device’s contribution to the VPP. The Compensation payments referenced herein, if any, are the only compensation that You will receive from Tesla or the Utility for participating in the Program. You are responsible for all other costs of participating in the Program, including, but not limited to Your cost of electricity to charge Your Device as well as for the general use of Your Device.
Your Device Data and Other Information
Participation in the Program means that the Utility and Tesla will have access to certain types of Your personal identifiable information and energy use data, including, but not limited to, Your name, address, energy usage, utility account number, Device information, data generated from the Program and other personal information, collectively referred to as Confidential Information. You authorize the Utility and Tesla, and their respective employees and representatives, to use and exchange the Confidential Information to administer the Program and in accordance with Tesla’s Customer Privacy Policy, as applicable. (Even though this policy is a separate document from these Terms, it is considered part of these Terms). You further authorize Tesla and the Utility to provide Your Confidential Information to relevant regulatory bodies upon their valid, legal request or as otherwise required by law. You also authorize Tesla or the Utility to use or share Confidential Information that is anonymized without further need for Your consent provided that it does not contain any of Your personal identifiable information.
Program Communications
By accepting these terms and conditions, you consent to Tesla, your Utility and other Program agents communicating with you for the purpose of enrolling you and managing your participation in the Program by email, SMS or telephone, including without limitation placing calls to wireless and other phone numbers using automatic dialing systems and recorded voice technology, notwithstanding any registration pursuant to federal, state or local Do-Not-Call lists or similar registries.
Enrollment Into Other VPP Programs
You agree that Your enrollment into the Program means that You are interested in participating in Virtual Power Plant programs. You grant Tesla the right to apply on Your behalf, unenroll You from programs and enroll you in alternative or follow-on VPP programs that are, in Tesla’s sole discretion, similar to the Program. If this occurs, Tesla will notify You of the change and provide You with an option to unenroll.
No Warranty; Disclaimer
Tesla expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind relating to this Program, whether express, implied or statutory including but not limited to any implied warranties for conditions, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights.
Limitation of Liability
In no event will Tesla be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising in connection with the Program, including but not limited to, Your Device’s reduced charge during a power outage causing a loss of power or any other loss of power. If You are dissatisfied with the Program, any of these Terms, or believe Tesla has breached these Terms, Your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue participation in the Program.
Termination
You agree that either of us may choose to terminate Your participation in the Program, at any time and for any reason. If Tesla elects to terminate Your participation in the Program, Tesla will provide You with [5] days' written notice to the email address You maintain with Tesla in Your Tesla app. If You elect to terminate Your enrollment in the Program, you may do so by contacting vppsupport@tesla.com and termination will be effective within [5] days of processing Your request.
Note: The Wattsmart Battery Program Termination terms are different.
General
- Entire Agreement. Except as otherwise stated herein, these terms and the Program Rules constitute the entire Agreement between You and Tesla concerning the Program.
- No Assignment. You may not assign this Agreement without Tesla’s prior written consent.
- Severability and Waiver. If any provision herein is invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
- Survival. Termination of the Program will not affect any obligations and rights under this Agreement, including Sections 7, 8, 10, 12 and 13, which are intended to survive such termination.
- Governing Law. This Agreement is governed by California law.
- Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by Tesla from time to time upon 5 days’ written notice to the email address You maintain with Tesla in the Tesla app with reference on the pilot support page which can be accessed through the Tesla app.
Tesla Arbitration Requirement
Agreement to Arbitrate
Read this part carefully because it means you are agreeing that any unresolved dispute between you and Tesla will not be decided by a judge or jury in a public courtroom, but instead by a single arbitrator in a private arbitration.
If you have a dispute arising out of or relating to any aspect of this Agreement and the relationship between you and Tesla, Inc. or its affiliates (which we call “Tesla”), send us an email to resolutions@tesla.com, describing your dispute and how you would like it resolved. If it is not resolved within 60 days from the date of your email, you agree that your dispute can only be resolved by a single arbitrator in an arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. This includes claims arising before you ordered your System (such as claims related to statements Tesla made about our products). We will pay all AAA fees for any arbitration, which will be held in the city or county of your legal residence. To learn more about the Rules and how to begin an arbitration, you can call any AAA office or go to www.adr.org. The arbitrator can only resolve disputes between you and Tesla and cannot consolidate claims from others without consent from you, Tesla, and the others. You can only bring claims in arbitration against Tesla in your individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class or representative action (and the same is true for Tesla). If a court or arbitrator decides that any part of this agreement to arbitrate cannot be enforced as to a specific claim for relief or remedy (such as what lawyers call “injunctive” or “declaratory” relief), then that claim or remedy (and only that claim or remedy) will be carved out of the arbitration and can be filed in court; all other claims must be arbitrated. If you prefer, you can take your individual dispute to a small claims court instead. If you don’t want to agree to arbitration, you can "opt out” of arbitration by sending us a letter within 30 days after placing your initial order for your System. Send the letter to Tesla, Inc.; P.O. Box 15430; Fremont, CA 94539-7970 and include your name, your order number, the name of the product you ordered and a statement explaining your desire to opt out of arbitration. If you do not opt out, your agreement to arbitrate overrides any different arbitration agreement between us, including any arbitration agreement in a lease or finance contract
Wattsmart Battery Program Terms and Conditions
1 Incentives will be reviewed periodically and may change at any time with a three-day notice from Rocky Mountain Power.
2 Incentive cap amount applies to customers who submit a net metering application through Rocky Mountain Power’s Power Clerk on or after September 1, 2025.