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Michael Dell's son Zach Dell aims to install a Base Power home battery system in every backyard in America; and follows what is called Costco model. TOI Tech Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Aug 07, 2026, 17:22 IST 6 Comments Michael Dell's son is expanding its battery business. Zach Dell, the co-founder of the home battery company Base Power, says he wants to install a battery system in neighbourhoods across the US. In an interview with Fortune, he said: "We want to bring Base to every neighbourhood in America over time." The company follows what Dell describes as a Costco model, offering low upfront installation costs and a monthly membership instead of selling high-priced battery systems. The expansion comes as Base Power announced a $1 billion Series D funding round, valuing the company at $13 billion, up from $4 billion in less than a year. Alongside its US expansion plans, Zach Dell said the company also has ambitions to enter markets including the UK, Germany and Australia, with its business model centred on low upfront installation costs and monthly membership fees rather than large one-time equipment purchases. Zach Dell's Base Power to replace high upfront battery costs with a membership model. Founded in 2023, Base provides electricity services alongside home battery systems that act as backup power during outages. Instead of selling customers a battery system costing around $15,000 or more, the company charges an installation fee of up to $695 and a monthly membership fee of $19. You May Like Dell described the approach as similar to the Costco model, in which recurring memberships, rather than high product margins, support the business. "Our business model, which is very unique, is that we're really an infrastructure company. We own and operate the assets in the wholesale power markets. That's really where we make our money, not by trying to sell the consumer something at a really high-margin upfront cost," Dell said. According to the company, the batteries also return electricity to the grid when demand is high, which it says can help lower customers' overall electricity costs. Customer base and manufacturing expansion. Base said it has grown from installing one battery system per day to more than 100 daily, serving over 30,000 customers. Earlier this year, the company opened its first battery manufacturing facility, Base Factory 1, in Austin, while a second, larger factory is expected to be completed in 2027. The company initially launched in Texas and has since expanded into Illinois. Dell said Base plans to enter additional US states next year by either operating in deregulated electricity markets or partnering with monopoly utilities. The Series D funding round was co-led by Ribbit Capital, Addition, Valor Equity Partners and JPMorgan Chase's Strategic Investment Group. Existing investors, including Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Lightspeed, Trust Ventures, and CapitalG, also participated. Batteries designed for homes and the power grid. Before opening its own manufacturing facility, Base relied on third-party battery systems. The company now produces batteries designed specifically for residential backup power and grid support rather than electric vehicle charging. "This battery is designed to be a grid resource. It's bigger, it installs faster, it switches over cleaner, it's more powerful, it has more duration," Dell said. Base currently offers one- and two-battery systems. According to Dell, the company's latest battery stores 39.2 kilowatt-hours of electricity, allowing homes to continue receiving power during outages that last up to two or three days, depending on usage. Dell said the batteries are charged when electricity prices are low and supply power back to the grid when demand and prices increase. To support expansion in Illinois, Base has also introduced promotional installation pricing for some customers, reducing the installation charge from the standard $695 to as low as $95 in selected cases. Dell said the company expects to continue adjusting pricing as it enters additional markets. The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity. End of Article

Base Power raises another US$1 billion in Series D financing for US residential BESS. August 5, 2026 Residential energy storage startup Base Power has announced a US$1 billion Series D financing at a US$13 billion post-money valuation, and the launch of its new home battery in production in Austin, Texas, US. Announced 3 August, Base Power is launching its 39.2kWh residential battery energy storage system (BESS) dubbed Base Core, in production at Base Factory 1 in Austin, Texas. By comparison, Base Core's capacity more than doubles the Tesla Powerwall 3's 13.5kWh capacity. Additionally, Zach Dell, CEO and co-founder of Base Power, claimed, "It installs in under an hour, switches over seamlessly, is built to handle extreme weather, and delivers extended outage protection at a price Americans can afford." Since that time, the company has been growing at an impressive pace. In February 2026, Base and utility El Paso Electric Company (EPE) announced a residential distributed energy resource (DER) pilot programme, seeing Base deploy a fleet of networked residential batteries in EPE's service region. In June, the company expanded to Illinois, installing BESS for customers in utility ComEd's service area. Base claimed that through its partnerships in Texas and Illinoi, it has expanded its fleet to over 500MWh. The Series D was led by VC and investment firms Ribbit, Addition, Valor Equity Partners, and JPMorganChase's Strategic Investment Group, part of the firm's Security and Resiliency Initiative, with participation from Altimeter, D1 Capital Partners, Sands Capital, Coatue, Layer Global, and Energy Impact Partners. Base's major existing investors are re-investing, including Thrive Capital, a16z, Lightspeed, Trust Ventures, CapitalG, and more. The company stated that the newly raised capital will be used for expanding the company's footprint, Base Core, and hiring. Market research firm Wood Mackenzie's Q2 2026 US Energy Storage Monitor, released on 23 June reported that the national attachment rate for residential BESS reached 45% in Q1 2026, up from 38% in Q1 2025 but unchanged from Q4 2025. California, Texas, Hawaii, and Arizona saw the largest quarter-over-quarter increases in deployed storage capacity during the first quarter. However, the national residential storage market is projected to contract 5% in 2026, driven by US residential solar installer Freedom Forever's bankruptcy, tax equity constraints, and updated permitting data indicating a sharper decline in capacity additions. Last month, residential renewable energy solutions company Palmetto launched its Palmetto Energy Backup Plan residential battery subscription in 25 states. The plan has no upfront payment and a fixed US$150 monthly fee for 12 years. It targets an estimated 4 to 4.5 million homes that have rooftop solar but no BESS. 8 September 2026 Barcelona, Spain Battery & Energy Storage Tech Europe (BESTE) is Europe's industrial scaling platform for stationary and industrial battery applications - not EVs. Taking place 8-9 September 2026 at Fira de Barcelona, BESTE brings together utilities, IPPs, energy-intensive industries, data centres, ports, rail, maritime, defence and aerospace OEMs - all deploying or integrating battery storage at scale. Over 100 companies already confirmed - including EDP Renewables, Acciona, Endesa, Naturgy, Neoen, Galp, Basquevolt and Veolia - alongside 40+ expert speakers and international institutional support from BEPA, BVES, LDES and Volta Foundation. Where Europe's battery & ES ecosystem turns projects into reality. 15 September 2026 San Diego, USA You can expect to meet and network with all the key industry players again in 2025 from major US asset owners, operators, RTOs and ISOs, optimizers, software and analytics providers, technical consultancies, O&M technology providers and more. 15 September 2026 Berlin, Germany Launching September 2026 in Berlin, Energy Storage Summit Germany is a new standalone event dedicated to Germany's energy storage market. Bringing together investors, developers, policymakers, TSOs, manufacturers and optimisation specialists, the Summit explores the regulatory shifts, revenue models, financing strategies and technology innovations shaping large-scale deployment. With Germany targeting 80% renewables by 2030, it offers a focused platform to connect with the decision-makers driving the Energiewende and the future of utility-scale storage.

Home batteries just got a lot bigger. Here's what that means for your storage decision. * Updated: Aug 05, 2026 * 9 min A home battery announced this week holds 39.2 kWh, nearly three times what a Tesla Powerwall 3 stores, and enough to run an average house for a day and a half on its own. Base Power's new Base Core launched alongside a $1 billion funding round that values the three-year-old company at $13 billion. If you've been shopping for home battery storage using last year's numbers as your baseline, it's worth pausing. The baseline just moved. Key takeaways * The new size ceiling is roughly 40 kWh, not 13.5 kWh. Base Power's Base Core stores 39.2 kWh per unit (78.4 kWh for two), next to 13.5 kWh for a Tesla Powerwall 3 and 13.6 kWh for a FranklinWH aPower2. * The money says investors think batteries are grid infrastructure now, not backup appliances. This is Base Power's third major raise since 2023, and it values the company at $13 billion. * "Bigger" doesn't mean "buy bigger." Base Power's giant batteries come through a lease-and-subscription model, not a purchase. Size and ownership are two separate decisions, and mixing them up is how people end up in a contract they didn't mean to sign. * Your sizing math hasn't changed. A bigger battery on the market doesn't mean your house needs one. It means the ceiling on what's available moved, which only matters if you were already bumping into it. What Base Power actually announced. Base Power, an Austin-based home battery company founded in 2023, announced on August 3 that it raised $1 billion in Series D funding at a $13 billion post-money valuation, bringing its total capital raised to more than $2.5 billion. The round breaks down like this: * Led by: Ribbit, Addition, Valor Equity Partners, and JPMorganChase's Strategic Investment Group * Also participating: Altimeter, D1 Capital Partners, Sands Capital, Coatue, Layer Global, and Energy Impact Partners * Returning investors putting in more money: Thrive Capital, a16z, Lightspeed, Trust Ventures, and CapitalG Base Power says the unit installs in under an hour and is built to keep working through extreme heat and cold. Alongside the funding, the company launched Base Core, built at its own Base Factory 1 in Austin, where it says it's now turning out thousands of units a month. A single Base Core stores 39.2 kWh; two paired together hold 78.4 kWh. CEO and co-founder Zach Dell pitched it on installation speed and grid resilience. COO and co-founder Justin Lopas tied the Austin factory to bringing storage manufacturing back to the US instead of importing it. Base's batteries are currently deployed in Texas and Illinois, with a combined fleet over 500 MWh, and the company has grid-services deals with utilities including El Paso Electric, Austin Energy, and CoServ covering more than 200 MW of capacity. Valor Equity Partners' Antonio Gracias, whose firm led the round, called Base the fastest, most cost-effective way to add grid capacity right now. That line is worth sitting with, because it tells you who this battery is actually built for. How big is 39.2 kWh, really? Numbers on a spec sheet are easy to skim past. Here's what 39.2 kWh looks like next to the batteries that have defined the residential market for the last few years. | Battery | Usable capacity (single unit) | Typical installed cost | | Enphase IQ Battery 5P | 5 kWh (modular, stack to scale) | Varies by stack size | | Tesla Powerwall 3 | 13.5 kWh | ~$12,000 to $16,000 | | FranklinWH aPower2 | 13.6 kWh | ~$12,000 to $16,000 | | Base Power Base Core | 39.2 kWh (78.4 kWh paired) | Not sold outright, see below | A single Base Core holds roughly three Powerwall 3s' worth of energy in one box. That's a real jump, not a marketing rounding error. It's the first time a mainstream residential product has landed in territory that used to take stacking three or four separate units to reach - and it's worth noting that route already exists, just piecemeal: Enphase's IQ Battery 5P is sold as a 5 kWh module precisely so homeowners can add capacity in stages instead of committing to one giant box on day one. Need a solar system installed? Fill out form and compare offers from solar professionals Here's the part that matters more than the kWh figure. Base Power doesn't sell the Base Core. It owns it, installs it on your property, and leases you the backup power. Based on how the company has publicly described its program, homeowners pay a modest upfront installation fee and a monthly service charge, then commit to buying electricity from Base Power at a fixed per-kWh rate for a multi-year term. Base's software charges the battery when grid power is cheap and discharges it, sometimes back to the grid, when demand and prices spike. Homeowners get a cut of that arbitrage profit. What's a virtual power plant (VPP)? A network of home batteries that a company coordinates like a single power plant, charging and discharging thousands of units in sync to help balance the grid. Participating homeowners get paid for the privilege. Base Power's entire business is built around this model instead of one-off equipment sales. Its read: this looks a lot more like a rooftop-solar power purchase agreement than a straight purchase of a stackable system like an EG4 battery. You get backup power and a smaller upfront bill. Base Power gets a fleet of dispatchable batteries it can sell grid services from, plus your electricity spend locked in for years. Neither of those is a bad deal on its face, but they're different deals, and the size of the battery box shouldn't be what decides which one you sign. Does bigger mean better for your house? Almost certainly not, at least not automatically. The 39.2 kWh number is impressive because it's new, not because your home needs it. Most single-family homes running essential circuits during an outage (refrigerator, some lighting, a well pump, part of the HVAC) get through comfortably on 10 to 15 kWh of usable storage. That's exactly why Powerwall 3 and aPower2 landed where they did. Homes that genuinely need something closer to Base Core's range tend to have a specific reason: whole-house backup that includes central AC, heavy daytime EV charging, or medical equipment that can't tolerate any gap in coverage. Practical advice: before a bigger number pulls you toward a bigger battery, pull your utility bill and work out your actual average daily kWh use. Then decide how many hours or days of backup you actually want, not the maximum available, but the maximum you'd realistically use. Buy vs. Subscribe: two different storage decisions. | / | Buy outright (Powerwall 3, aPower2, stacked Enphase) | Subscribe (Base Power model) | | Who owns the hardware | You | The battery company | | Upfront cost | Full installed price, financed or cash | Low installation fee | | Ongoing cost | None beyond your normal utility bill | Monthly fee plus locked-in per-kWh electricity rate | | Contract length | None | Multi-year commitment | | Grid participation | Full installed price, financed or cash | Low installation fee | | Best fit | Optional, opt-in VPP programs | Built into the product | | Upfront cost | Buyers who want an asset and full control over usage | Buyers who want backup power with low upfront cost and don't mind a long-term electricity contract | Neither column beats the other on its own. They fit different budgets and different appetites for a multi-year commitment tied to one company's rate structure. What to do before you decide. * Verify your actual outage-hour or outage-day target before comparing battery sizes. Most sizing mistakes happen here, not at the spec-sheet stage. * Ask any installer quoting a bigger system whether you're buying the hardware or leasing capacity, and get the total multi-year cost in writing either way. * Flag any quote that bundles a fixed-rate electricity contract with the battery, and read the rate-escalation and early-termination terms before signing. * Pause on chasing the largest available kWh number if your outage needs are modest. A right-sized purchase usually beats an oversized subscription. Base Power just showed the industry you can triple a home battery's capacity without adding a minute to the install time. Whether that's good news for you comes down to one question the marketing won't answer for you: are you buying a battery, or signing a multi-year contract that happens to come with one attached? Faq. Is a 39.2 kWh battery overkill for a typical home? Can I get a battery this big without leasing it? Does a bigger battery need more space or a bigger electrical setup? Am I required to join a VPP program if I buy a battery outright? Do your solar panels need cleaning? Fill out form and compare offers from solar professionals Alina has always been drawn to the intersection of technology and everyday life. Joining A1 SolarStore as a contributing writer, she brings fresh curiosity and a researcher's eye to the topics of clean energy and sustainability.