sonnen and SOLRITE Energy have announced an integration that adds household load management to the SOLRITE–sonnen virtual power plant (VPP). The system combines ADAPT Energy controls and Eaton AbleEdge smart breakers with sonnenHub, allowing the VPP to manage selected energy loads as well as dispatch batteries when the grid needs support.
For custom integrators, the announcement centers on the interaction between battery storage, electrical distribution and automated load control. A VPP links multiple residential batteries so they can operate as a coordinated energy resource. Under the new setup, participating homes can reduce electricity use during an event while sending more battery power to the grid.
Load control alongside battery dispatch
The companies cited pool pumps as an example of an appropriate controllable load. These devices can consume substantial energy, are not essential to basic home operation and often run for extended periods. During a grid-support event, ADAPT can temporarily turn off an approved pump while a sonnen battery supplies electricity to the grid.
That approach gives SOLRITE another control option beyond charging or discharging batteries. By reducing the power consumed inside the home, the system can preserve more stored energy for grid dispatch. The arrangement is based on homeowner participation: residents must opt in, and ADAPT is intended to switch off only loads approved in advance. Participation does not provide blanket permission to shut down household equipment.
“Instead of putting the pressure on homeowners to change the way their home is wired, and to manually manipulate loads during an outage, we’re putting intelligence into their energy system, which provides a seamless and automatic backup power experience for their home,”
Troy Morgan, president of PanTech Design, the developer of ADAPT Energy, made the statement in connection with the announcement.
Backup-power coordination
The smart breakers are also intended to address two operational issues associated with residential backup. Large appliances can deplete a battery quickly, while the startup surge from some equipment can overload a backup system as an outage begins. ADAPT coordinates the breakers with the sonnen battery to disconnect large loads automatically during backup operation and restore them when utility power returns.
That automation is designed to reduce the need for homeowners to reset individual circuits during an outage. It also places the load-management logic within the energy system rather than requiring residents to manually change how equipment is used. The announcement describes the controls as operating during both outages and periods when the grid needs support.
| Element | Details announced |
|---|---|
| Virtual power plant | SOLRITE–sonnen |
| Battery platform | sonnenHub and participating home batteries |
| Load controls | ADAPT Energy controls |
| Smart breakers | Eaton AbleEdge |
| Example controllable load | Pool pumps |
| Customer authorization | Homeowners opt in and approve loads in advance |
Commercial details remain open
The announcement did not specify pricing, the number of homes that will receive the system or when existing customers may obtain the integration. It therefore establishes the participating companies and the control architecture, but does not provide a published installation schedule or a dealer availability date.
For installers working on battery-backed homes, the announced design brings together several parts of a residential energy system: storage, backup-power management, circuit-level switching and utility-facing dispatch. The companies have not published additional commercial terms for the SOLRITE–sonnen integration.
- ADAPT Energy can temporarily disconnect approved loads during grid events and backup operation.
- Eaton AbleEdge smart breakers are integrated with sonnenHub in the announced configuration.
- The system is opt-in, with homeowner-approved loads rather than unrestricted control of household circuits.
