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NuWatt designs, installs, and manages solar, battery, heat pump, and EV charger systems across 9 states. One company, one warranty, one point of contact.
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Rhode Island Energy runs ConnectedSolutions at $250/kW summer + $40/kW winter — the second-highest rate in New England behind Massachusetts. A 5 kW battery earns $1,250 summer + $200 winter = $1,450, capped at $1,200/year. Rhode Island is a single-utility state (Rhode Island Energy, formerly National Grid RI), which simplifies enrollment. Combined with the federal ITC and RI's high electricity rates ($0.27-0.33/kWh), batteries break even in 6-8 years.
Program details
Rhode Island Energy runs ConnectedSolutions at $250/kW/year summer + $40/kW winter. RI also has the Clean Heat RI program for heat pumps, but the battery VPP is separate.
Rhode Island Energy dispatches enrolled batteries during summer (June-September) and winter peak periods. Summer events target the 2-7 PM window on high-demand weekdays; winter events focus on cold-morning heating peaks. RI benefits from being a single-utility state — there is no confusion about which program to enroll in. Rhode Island Energy inherited the ConnectedSolutions framework from National Grid RI and has maintained competitive rates. Payment is annual, processed in Q4 after each program year.
Real enrollment example
The Patels in Warwick installed a Tesla Powerwall 3 alongside a 8.5 kW solar array in February 2025. Because Rhode Island is a single-utility state, NuWatt filed their ConnectedSolutions enrollment directly with Rhode Island Energy — no guessing which utility form to use. Interconnection approval came in four weeks, and VPP activation followed two weeks later. Their Powerwall joined the dispatch pool in mid-April, catching late-spring events that MA batteries often miss. Over the full program year — 34 summer events and 9 winter dispatches — they earned the $1,200 annual cap. Payment posted in November, ten months after installation.
On a sticky 88°F August Monday, Rhode Island Energy dispatches at 2:45 PM as Narragansett Bay humidity drives AC load across the East Bay corridor. The Patels' Powerwall starts exporting 5 kW within minutes. Their window AC units keep humming, the chest freezer in the garage stays cold, and the home Wi-Fi router never blinks. Because RI is a small, dense grid, events tend to be shorter — this one wraps at 5:15 PM, just two and a half hours. The Powerwall recharges overnight at Rhode Island Energy's off-peak rate of $0.14/kWh, ready for the next call.
Rhode Island's compact geography means solar production is consistent statewide — no north-south variance like NH. VPP events run 2-7 PM, and an 8.5 kW array produces 5-7 kWh during that window. Post-event solar recharging saves $50-70 per summer versus overnight grid pulls at $0.27/kWh retail. The bigger advantage is net metering: RI credits solar exports at full retail rate, so every kWh the battery shifts from low-value midday export to high-value evening self-consumption saves $0.20-0.27. Solar-paired batteries in RI earn an effective $1,500-1,700/year (VPP + TOU + net metering optimization) versus $1,200 for battery alone.
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Change the state dropdown to compare across NuWatt’s service area, or leave it on Rhode Island to see the number for your specific battery.
Virtual Power Plant revenue by state for Tesla Powerwall 3
10 years
Estimated annual revenue
$1,200
per year from Rhode Island Energy ConnectedSolutions
10-year total
$12,000
before fees/taxes
Battery price offset
79%
of $15,250
Program structure
$/kW/yr
min 3 kW / 5 kWh
Annual revenue breakdown
About Rhode Island Energy ConnectedSolutions
Rhode Island Energy runs ConnectedSolutions at $250/kW/year summer + $40/kW winter. RI also has the Clean Heat RI program for heat pumps, but the battery VPP is separate.
Administered by Rhode Island Energy (formerly National Grid RI) · Last reviewed 2026-04
Learn about enrollmentMethodology
VPP revenue estimates use published program rates from utility tariff filings and ConnectedSolutions program reports as of 2026. Actual payment depends on the number of events called, your battery’s performance during events, and ongoing enrollment. Rates change quarterly — re-run this calculator before making financial decisions. This is informational, not a guarantee of revenue.
NuWatt installs VPP-eligible batteries across all 9 service states. We handle the ConnectedSolutions / BYOD enrollment paperwork as part of the install.
Start my free battery quoteSummer: $250/kW, winter: $40/kW. A 5 kW battery earns $1,250 summer + $200 winter = $1,450 uncapped, but the program cap is $1,200/year. So you receive $1,200 annually. This is the second-highest effective payout in New England. For a 7.6 kW battery like the Franklin aPower 2, the uncapped math ($1,900 summer + $304 winter = $2,204) hits the cap even faster, but the payout is still $1,200.
Rhode Island Energy (formerly National Grid RI) pays $250/kW summer vs National Grid MA at $275/kW — a $25/kW difference. However, RI adds a $40/kW winter component that partially closes the gap. The effective annual payment is $1,200 (RI cap) vs $1,500 (MA cap). MA is still better on pure VPP revenue, but RI's higher TOU spread and single-utility simplicity partly compensate.
No permanent program. The Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund periodically issues competitive grants ($1,000-2,500 for residential batteries) but these are intermittent and first-come-first-served. Unlike CT's $7,500 ESS program, RI does not have a standing rebate. The federal 30% ITC is the primary upfront incentive. Check the RI Office of Energy Resources website for current grant cycles before quoting.
NuWatt handles enrollment as part of every RI battery install. After installation and interconnection approval (typically 4-6 weeks — faster than MA due to RI's smaller territory), we submit enrollment to Rhode Island Energy. Activation takes 2-3 weeks. RI has a single enrollment portal (unlike MA where you navigate Eversource vs National Grid vs Unitil), which simplifies paperwork. You start earning from the next dispatch event after activation.
Rhode Island participates in RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative), which adds a carbon cost to fossil-generated electricity. RGGI allowance prices are trending from $15/ton (2026) toward $20-25/ton by 2030. Each dollar increase in allowance price adds roughly $0.005/kWh to grid electricity costs. A battery that shifts consumption to solar self-powered hours avoids these rising costs. This is a slow-moving benefit (~2-3% per year) but it compounds — by year 10 of battery ownership, RGGI savings add $100-150/year in avoided costs.
Yes. Solar pairing lets the battery recharge at zero marginal cost and shifts surplus production from low-value export to high-value self-consumption ($0.07-0.12/kWh recovered per shifted kWh). For RI specifically, net metering credits at retail rate make solar already valuable, but a battery captures the remaining 20-30% of production that would otherwise be exported during midday low-demand periods. The combined solar + battery + ConnectedSolutions stack breaks even 1-2 years faster than battery alone.