Grid Rewards: Fill your wallet while saving the planet

Before you start reading, you might want to watch something first! This short and sweet video serves as a kickstart into the world of Grid Rewards with your EV.

Balancing the grid with Tibber's Virtual Power Plant

We only have one Earth, and it’s time to rethink how we generate and consume electricity. Nature generously provides us with abundant energy through the sun and wind, but these incredible power sources are a bit… uncontrollable. After all, we can’t dictate when the wind blows or the sun shines (as much as we’d like to). But this variability throws the energy grid off balance. That's where you come in.

Why does the grid need balancing?

Think of the energy grid like a bathtub. On sunny, windy days, renewable energy gushes in like an open faucet, filling the tub quickly. If too much water pours in, the tub overflows – leading to an overloaded grid. This could mean overheated equipment, power outages, or even infrastructure damage. 

On the flip side, during cloudy or windless days, the flow slows to a trickle, and the tub starts to drain. That's when we face energy shortages and potential blackouts. Traditionally, we’ve fired up fossil fuel plants to fill the gap – padding the pockets of those companies, and pumping carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

So, if we want more renewable energy and a faster transition to clean power, we need a better way to keep the grid balanced.

Enter Tibber's Virtual Power Plant

To address this challenge, Tibber has created the biggest Virtual Power Plant (VPP) in Europe, uniting thousands of home and car batteries to help grid operators balance supply and demand. 

This teamwork turns renewable energy from an “intermittent” source into a “dispatchable” one – much like a traditional power plant (without the pollution). The pool of batteries in the VPP collectively store excess energy when demand is low, and pause charging or even discharge energy back to the grid when demand is high. 

The more folks who join in, the less we rely on fossil fuels, and the greener our grid becomes.

Earn money as an energy hero 

Every time your car or Homevolt [link](smart home energy storage) batteries pitch in to balance the grid, you earn money. How's that for a win-win? Tibber gets paid by helping grid operators, and we pass those earnings on to you through Grid Rewards.

How it works with your electric car Your EV isn't just for getting you from A to B; it's also a grid-balancing superstar.

• Charges during surplus: When renewable energy is abundant, your car charges up to make use of that excess energy.

• Pauses charging during high demand: When the grid is under pressure, charging temporarily pauses to help ease the strain.

How it works with your Homevolt battery The Homevolt battery takes things to the next level.

• Stores energy: Like your car, it charges when renewable energy is plentiful, storing excess power.

• Discharges energy: Unlike your car, Homevolt can discharge (mostly renewable) energy back into the grid when it's needed most.

With Grid Rewards, the money you earn is saved as credits in your Tibber account, reducing your energy bill all year round. But it’s more than just savings – you're actively propelling the shift to renewable energy, and making a real impact in the fight against climate change.

Be part of the solution

Massive infrastructure projects are in the works, but with Grid Rewards, we can make a difference right now—without giving up any comfort or convenience. Whether through your EV, your Homevolt battery, or both, you have the power to tackle today's energy challenges.

Your efforts extend far beyond your own home. By enhancing the reliability of renewables and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, you're directly cutting carbon emissions. Together, we're speeding up the transition to clean energy – and when even more join in, the ripple effect pushes us closer to a fossil-free future. 

Batteries are just the beginning – heating systems will join the party soon. That greener future we've been dreaming about? It's starting to peek over the horizon. And it all starts with you.