New battery incentives are coming—and homeowners can begin evaluating their homes before enrollment opens
Georgia Power is preparing to launch a new Solar Plus Storage Pilot that could make home battery systems significantly more affordable.
Approved through Georgia Power’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, the program is designed to encourage customers to install battery storage while compensating them for helping support the electric grid during periods of high demand.
Enrollment is expected to begin during the third quarter of 2026. Although Georgia Power has not yet released the complete application process and equipment requirements, homeowners can begin preparing now.
Why Georgia Power Wants Home Batteries
A home battery can do more than provide backup power during an outage.
When paired with solar, a battery can store electricity produced during the day and make it available at night, during expensive utility hours, or when the grid goes down.
It can also help Georgia Power manage periods of unusually high electricity demand.
One battery is a relatively small resource. But when hundreds or thousands of batteries respond together, they can function like a distributed power plant—supplying energy or reducing demand when the grid needs support.
Georgia Power’s new pilot would compensate participating customers for providing that value.
Two Ways to Participate
Georgia Power has announced two participation options: Customer-Directed and Utility-Directed.
Customer-Directed Option
The Customer-Directed option gives the homeowner greater control over the battery.
It will be available for:
- New or existing systems
- Solar-plus-storage systems
- Standalone battery systems without solar
The homeowner retains control over how the system is normally used but agrees to respond to qualifying Georgia Power event calls.
Participating customers would receive:
- A small annual enrollment incentive of $15 per kilowatt of battery capacity
- A $1.50 per kilowatt-hour performance incentive for qualifying energy delivered during Georgia Power events
Georgia Power expects at least 50 hours of event calls each year.
For example, a 10-kilowatt battery would receive a $150 annual enrollment incentive. Additional performance payments would depend on how much energy the battery provides during utility events.
The $1.50 payment should not be confused with a new general export rate. It applies to qualifying battery performance during Georgia Power event calls—not necessarily every kilowatt-hour sent to the grid.
Utility-Directed Option
The Utility-Directed option provides a much larger upfront incentive but gives Georgia Power substantially more control over the battery.
Under the preliminary program description:
- The solar-plus-storage system must be new
- Georgia Power may control up to 80% of the battery’s capacity for grid support
- The homeowner receives an upfront incentive of $750 per kilowatt of storage
- The agreement lasts 10 years
A 10-kilowatt battery could therefore qualify for an upfront incentive of approximately $7,500.
That could materially reduce the initial cost of a battery, but homeowners should carefully consider how Georgia Power’s control affects backup-power availability, daily battery use, equipment warranties, and plans to sell the home.
Who May Be Eligible?
The pilot is expected to include residential, commercial, nonprofit, institutional, and municipal customers.
The preliminary system limits are:
- Residential customers: up to 25 kW
- Commercial and industrial customers: up to 250 kW
- Municipalities, universities, schools, hospitals, and houses of worship: up to 1 MW
The combined solar and storage system may not exceed 125% of the customer’s peak demand.
Georgia Power also indicates that customers may participate through a system they own or through an eligible third-party ownership arrangement.
Why Homeowners Should Prepare Before Enrollment Opens
Battery projects require more planning than simply selecting a product.
Before recommending a system, a qualified installer should evaluate:
- The home’s historical electricity usage
- Which appliances and circuits need backup power
- The size and condition of the electrical service
- Whether the home already has solar
- Available installation space
- Battery power and storage requirements
- Equipment compatibility
- Interconnection requirements
- Whether Customer-Directed or Utility-Directed participation is likely to be the better fit
Completing this work now can help homeowners avoid starting from the beginning after enrollment opens.
It can also help identify homes that need electrical upgrades or other work before a battery can be installed.
Which Option May Be Right for You?
The Customer-Directed option may be better for homeowners who want to retain control of their battery, already have solar or storage, or prefer annual performance-based compensation.
The Utility-Directed option may appeal to homeowners who are installing a new solar-plus-storage system and want the largest available upfront incentive.
The right decision will depend on the home, the battery size, backup-power priorities, anticipated savings, and the final Georgia Power agreement.
Important details—including eligible battery models, event procedures, application requirements, payment calculations, and early-termination rules—are still expected from Georgia Power.
Join Sunpath’s Solar + Storage Pilot Interest List
Georgia Power’s pilot could create one of the strongest financial opportunities Georgia homeowners have had for installing battery storage.
But enrollment may be limited, and homeowners who wait until the program opens could lose valuable preparation time.
Sunpath Solar is now helping Georgia homeowners:
- Evaluate their home for solar and battery storage
- Determine the appropriate battery size
- Compare the Customer-Directed and Utility-Directed options
- Estimate potential incentives and energy savings
- Identify electrical or installation requirements
- Prepare to apply when Georgia Power opens enrollment
Sign up for Sunpath’s Georgia Power Solar Plus Storage Pilot updates and schedule your battery evaluation now.
We will notify interested homeowners when Georgia Power releases the final program requirements and help qualified customers prepare their projects for enrollment.
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