Lunar Energy

Lunar Energy is a clean energy company founded in August 2020 by Kunal Girotra, a former executive at Tesla Energy. The company focuses on developing hardware and software solutions for residential energy management and storage. Lunar Energy's primary offering is a next-generation home battery system designed to help homeowners generate, store, and consume 100% clean energy. The system combines battery modules, power electronics, and software, all engineered from the ground up.

In August 2022, Lunar Energy announced it had raised USD 300 million in funding from investors including Sunrun, SK Group, ITOCHU, and Honda. The company also acquired Moixa, a UK-based software company specializing in distributed energy resources (DER) management. This acquisition brought with it the GridShare software platform, now rebranded as Lunar Gridshare. As of 2023, Lunar Gridshare was managing over 77,000 residential devices across Europe, Japan, and the US, representing 290 megawatts of power and 725 megawatt-hours of energy capacity.

Lunar Energy's technology aims to create virtual power plants (VPPs) by connecting and aggregating residential energy systems. The company's software optimizes the use of solar panels, batteries, and other home energy devices to balance customer needs with grid demands. In July 2023, Lunar Energy received two iF Design Awards for its home battery system, which was recognized for its modular, compact design and intuitive user interface.

Key customers and partnerships

Lunar Energy has established significant partnerships in the energy sector. The company manages Sunrun's national virtual power plant division, overseeing VPP operations in multiple states including New England, New York, California, Arizona, and Hawaii. These VPPs are typically tied to utilities or electric cooperatives, such as Peninsula Clean Energy in California and Hawaiian Electric Company.

In Japan, Lunar Gridshare is connected to 37,000 residential batteries installed by ITOCHU, providing daily behind-the-meter optimization to reduce customer bills. The platform also works with four of the five largest Japanese power companies to deliver demand response solutions. Additionally, Lunar Gridshare supports advanced smart charging services for Honda electric vehicles and has facilitated UPS's transition to electric vehicle fleets in the UK.