May 2020  

National Grid and EnergyHub for National Grid ConnectedSolutions

NGrid Energy Hub

National Grid’s ConnectedSolutions program is the nation’s first pay-for-performance-based Bring-Your-Own-Battery Demand Response (DR) program. The program has shown how to cost-effectively incentivize customers to purchase batteries and allow the utility to discharge those batteries to reduce peaks on the grid. The program provides residential, commercial, and industrial battery owners across Massachusetts and Rhode Island with incentives from $200-400/kW-performed per year in exchange for providing battery capacity to support a more sustainable and efficient grid. The program embraces consumer choice by enabling participation with battery integrators from Tesla, Sunrun, Generac, SolarEdge, and Sonnen through an integration with a single Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) platform provided by EnergyHub. With the goal of enrolling 17 MW of load relief by the end of 2021, the program is on track to provide more than $15,000,000 per year in system benefits, which will reduce costs for all customers. This program started as a National Grid program, but it has been so successful that it has since been adopted by Eversource and Unitil. These utilities work together to offer one consistent program for customers.

Source: Webinar featuring Paul Wassink, National Grid; Chris Ashley, EnergyHub; and Brett Feldman, Guidehouse Insights
Type: Webinar    

Why Is Electricity Pricing So Difficult? Between a Rock and a Smart Meter

Electricity Pricing

For decades, there has been the promise of time-differentiated and dynamic pricing for electricity consumers, yet we are still far from reaching that elusive goal. This disconnect between price signals and marginal costs has complicated efforts to modulate system peaks and fill the duck curve’s belly. At the same time, customers do not tend to desire more complex rates, being comfortable with their traditional flat rate despite the fact they don’t know what a kilowatt hour is. But now, with smart meters and technologies to help customers manage energy use like never before, how can we greatly boost pricing success in the decade to come? Hear two energy experts discuss how some utilities are succeeding with TOU, Demand, and even dynamic pricing, where the barriers are today, and how to design pricing options that customers actually understand and want.

Source: Webinar featuring Ahmad Faruqui, The Brattle Group; Bill LeBlanc, E Source; and Derek Kirchner, Consumers Energy
Type: Webinar    

Arizona Public Service and EnergyHub for APS Distributed Energy Resource Aggregations (Rewards Programs and Solar Communities)

APS EnergyHub

Arizona Public Service (APS) has implemented programs that reimagine the relationship between a utility and distributed energy resources (DERs) and that will be instrumental in its commitment to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050. APS uses EnergyHub’s Mercury DERMS platform to dynamically manage a portfolio of grid-edge assets including thermostats, batteries, water heaters, and solar inverters for an array of grid services. APS leverages DERs for peak demand reduction, load shifting and renewables matching, solar management, and advanced load and capacity forecasting. Services are available year round, multiple times a day, unlike event-based calls for DR. They have implemented these programs with both bring-your-own and direct install models. APS has evolved from a DERMS early-adopter to a pioneer of a customer-centric approach to managing the grid.

Source: Webinar featuring Tom Hines, Arizona Public Service; Renée Guillory, Arizona Public Service; Ben Bunker, EnergyHub; and Brett Feldman, Guidehouse
Type: Webinar