3CE and Lunar Energy Partner to Launch Virtual Power Plant Program

June 24, 2026

Agreement will empower 3CE customers to save money and support grid reliability

MONTEREY, Calif., June 24, 2026 — Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) and Lunar Energy today announced they will jointly develop and deploy a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), a network of participating homes and businesses that can optimize energy usage to provide grid-wide benefits. The three- to four-year agreement marks a new frontier in household energy management with a performance-based approach that translates customers’ choices into real bill savings while supporting grid reliability and advancing decarbonization across California’s Central Coast.

Lunar will provide Lunar Gridshare, a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) platform, to manage the network of energy devices at customer sites and optimize pricing and grid demand. The platform will let participating customers earn direct bill savings while helping to reduce grid costs and harmful emissions.

California’s electric grid is under growing pressure from climate change, electrification, and the rapid construction of new data centers. This DERMS-enabled VPP program will allow 3CE to remotely coordinate devices across a network of participating customers to dispatch stored energy precisely when and where it is needed.

The first phase of 3CE’s DERMS enabled-VPP will utilize home batteries, with other devices such as heat-pump water heaters, EV chargers, and smart thermostats rolling out in later phases. 3CE is targeting 5 MW of dispatchable VPP capacity by the end of 2026, scaling to 30 MW by 2030.

3CE CEO Robert Shaw said, “As a locally controlled public agency, 3CE has the flexibility to move quickly and try new approaches when the opportunity is right. This agreement with Lunar Energy is a perfect example; we’re taking the next logical step beyond our battery rebate program and building something that benefits our customers directly while strengthening the grid for everyone on the Central Coast.”

“Virtual power plants are one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to strengthen the grid using infrastructure that already exists,” said Kunal Girotra, Founder and CEO of Lunar Energy. “Through Gridshare, 3CE can unlock new value for households while adding flexibility to the broader energy system. 3CE joins a growing number of Community Choice Aggregators across California Lunar is working with, reflecting a shared belief that the future of energy lies in better using the assets already in our homes and communities.”

# # #

About Central Coast Community Energy

Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) is a public agency that sources competitively priced electricity from clean and renewable energy resources. 3CE is governed by local officials who represent the communities that make up 3CE and serves more than 1.2 million people throughout the Central Coast, including residential, commercial, and agricultural customers in Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz counties. Revenue generated by 3CE supports the transition to carbon-free power and is invested locally through innovative energy programs designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more at 3CEnergy.org and on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X/Twitter.

About Lunar Energy

Lunar Energy, Inc. powers homes around the world with endless clean energy. Founded in 2020, Lunar Energy develops intelligent software and advanced hardware to electrify homes and connect communities to form clean, resilient virtual power plants. The fast-growing, global company is delivering an ecosystem of products to make energy more affordable, secure and reliable for everyone. Learn more at https://www.lunarenergy.com/.