Sunrun shares RUN surged 27% in early trading on Wednesday after the residential solar company unveiled a partnership with Tesla and home-energy management platform Renew Home.
The partnership aims to supply electricity capacity to data centers and utilities grappling with soaring demand from artificial intelligence.
The three companies said they would work together to deliver more than 16 gigawatts of flexible energy capacity by creating what they described as the largest distributed power plant in the United States.
The network will draw power from Sunrun and Tesla home battery systems and use more than 8 million smart thermostats and connected devices managed by Renew Home to shift electricity demand and dispatch power during periods of peak grid stress.
AI boom drives electricity demand
The agreement comes as the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure places increasing pressure on US electricity networks.
According to Goldman Sachs Commodities Research, data center power demand in the United States is expected to reach 41 gigawatts in 2026 and climb to 66 gigawatts in 2027.
The bank estimates total US data center capacity could approach 95 gigawatts by the end of next year.
The companies said their approach could help support hyperscale data centers without requiring costly investments in new power infrastructure.
“The grid of the 1800s cannot power the innovation of 2026,” Sunrun Chief Executive Mary Powell said.
“Americans deserve innovation that does not create unnecessary energy costs. When data centers are asked to throttle down operations during the most expensive and stressful hours of the day, we can activate our distributed power plants to help provide them the power they need while also protecting American families from footing the bill for costly new infrastructure.”
The partnership already has more than 300 megawatts of capacity available for deployment in Virginia, one of the world’s largest data center markets.
The companies expect that figure to exceed 500 megawatts by 2030 as installations of home batteries and smart devices accelerate.
Distributed energy gains investor attention
The alliance also highlights growing interest in using distributed energy resources to manage rising electricity demand.
Analysis by economic consultancy Brattle Group suggests that better utilization of existing grid infrastructure could lower electricity bills by between $110 billion and $170 billion over the next decade.
Wednesday’s rally put Sunrun on course to erase much of its decline for the year.
The stock had fallen about 30% through Tuesday’s close after the company issued cautious guidance.
The stock was recently trading around $16.24.
Last month, UBS lowered its price target on Sunrun to $20 from $23 while maintaining a Buy rating.
The brokerage reduced its forecasts for solar capacity deployment and now expects Sunrun to deploy 891 megawatts in 2026, down from its previous estimate of 935 megawatts.
Despite trimming projections, UBS maintained its positive stance on the stock, noting that Sunrun and the residential solar sector continue to represent a relatively high-risk, high-reward investment opportunity.
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