Piclo and United Illuminating to Develop First DER-enabled Grid Flexibility Market in Connecticut
Posted February 22, 2024
Connecticut, USA, Thursday 22nd February – Piclo, the global leading marketplace for grid flexibility, will collaborate with local stakeholders including United Illuminating (UI), a subsidiary of Avangrid, Inc. and one of Connecticut’s largest electric distribution companies (EDCs), to establish a new local DER-enabled grid flexibility market - the first of its kind in New England.
The new market will enable DER aggregators and Virtual Power Plant operators to earn revenue from flexing their electricity consumption and generation. Connecting them with utilities via a simple, digital marketplace saves time, reduces overall grid costs and boosts grid resiliency.
When utilities do not have sufficient supply to match their demand or identify bottlenecks on their grid, instead of having to purchase expensive bulk power from peaker plants on the wholesale market or shut off customer supply, they could instead pay DER aggregators to provide flexibility. For DER owners, this extra revenue stream represents new business opportunities and access to new markets.
Aggregating residential and commercial demand and supply can also offer new income avenues to support underserved communities in line with Connecticut’s equity goals and the federal community benefit and Justice40 Initiative. As harnessing DER flexibility can be a cheaper alternative, the savings can be passed onto customers, particularly as affordability is a key issue in Connecticut, which has some of the highest electricity rates in North America. Additionally, this will help the state meet its ambitious electrification and 100% zero carbon electric sector goals by 2040 and Connecticut's Framework for an Equitable Modern Grid.
CLICK HERE to read the full press release.
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Lumin Announces Pre-Release of Lumin Edge for Utilities, a Revolutionary New Grid Services Platform
The utility-targeted Lumin Edge pre-release focuses on delivering behind-the-meter analytics and superior load management tools.
Posted February 21, 2024
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lumin, the pioneer of responsive energy management solutions, today announced the pre-release of its newest residential load control platform, Lumin Edge. This innovative product merges Lumin’s intelligent load management software with a groundbreaking modular design, providing unparalleled functionality, flexibility, and value. The Lumin Edge pre-release program focuses on grid services such as high-resolution, behind-the-meter analytics, and advanced demand-side management tools. At the end of March, Lumin will ship units to co-op and investor-owned utilities across the U.S. and Canada, including California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, North Carolina, and British Columbia. Several global original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners will also receive shipments. The company plans to release Lumin Edge to the broader public in the second half of 2024.
As cities and states enact policies to transition homes away from fossil-fueled appliances and towards electrification, utilities face mounting pressure to maintain grid stability. Lumin Edge’s behind-the-meter analytics and real-time load management capabilities enable grid operators to shape demand with precision while allowing customers to respond to increasingly complex utility rate structures. It addresses the need for a responsive, high-capacity demand-side management resource, providing a flexible, cost-effective solution to support grid stability.
Its innovative modular design allows each Lumin Edge Controller to be placed anywhere along the wire from the service panel to the targeted appliance, offering unmatched installation flexibility. The Edge Controllers communicate wirelessly with the Edge Hub through a secure mesh network, creating a quick and seamless installation process that can take an electrician less than twelve minutes per load and ten minutes for commissioning. By managing the homeowners’ largest and most important loads, Lumin Edge delivers the ultimate combination of convenience, performance, and affordability.
Lumin Edge provides utilities with a dependable, high-capacity demand-side management resource, offering unparalleled control and visibility over household loads. With instant, circuit-level responsiveness and high-resolution insights across the Lumin fleet, utilities can effectively operate enhanced demand response programs and grid-stabilizing virtual power plants (VPPs). Through enhanced customer engagement, Edge enables increased demand response event frequency and duration while employing push notifications and participation opt-outs. Utilities can then manage the Lumin fleet through Lumin’s software platform or integrate them directly into their distributed energy resource management system (DERMS), resulting in substantial cost savings in distribution infrastructure without compromising energy sales.
CLICK HERE to read the full press release.
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Puget Sound Energy Job Opportunity: EES Program Manager (Demand Response)
Posted February 19, 2024
Job Description
Develops and manages strategic design and delivery of Demand Response (DR) programs to PSE customers. Participates in all relevant program planning exercises including (but not limited to) goal setting, budget planning, market research, evaluation activities, and business case development. Identifies opportunities for continuous improvement in order to better serve our customers through innovative program design and implementation. Supports efforts around program marketing and outreach campaigns for successful customer engagement.
Upholds the safety compliance standards inherent in PSE’s operating and/or field procedures related to work responsibilities. Promotes and supports a culture of total safety.
Demonstrates commitment to conduct business honestly, ethically and consistent with our core values and Code of Conduct. Ensures duties are performed in accordance with all regulatory compliance obligations.
- Manages sizable customer-facing program(s) with complex scope and substantial budget.
- Develops and manages all program related activities including goal and target setting, budget planning, and program direction.
- Monitors program progress to ensure achievement of annual targets within budget while minimizing monthly variances through accurate forecasting.
- Developing cost effective product specifications, such as energy savings measures, through custom calculations or regionally developed deemed values.
- Drives program planning activities including strategic program direction and implementation as well as business case development.
- Conducts market research, critically analyzes multiple data sources, and incorporates best practices into program design.
- Develops strategic concepts and consistently pursues innovation.
- Manages third party vendor relationships including scope and contract management, budget negotiation, and vendor performance against key performance indicators.
- Manages and fosters positive relationships with trade professionals and internal/external stakeholders.
- Evaluates customer issues, proposes solutions, and manages customer expectations while providing excellent customer service.
- Managing the successful implementation of marketing and outreach strategies with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Works with senior management to maintain consistency across department.
- Demonstrated ability to execute high profile assignments with diligence.
- May provide input to the supervisor regarding program team performance.
- May provide training and development of team members, as needed, to support program objectives.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
CLICK HERE to read the full job description and apply.
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Puget Sound Energy Job Opportunity: Supervisor Customer Energy Management (Demand Response)
Posted February 19, 2024
Job Description
Supervises the Customer Energy Management Demand Response (DR) team and third party contractors and consultants in delivering tariffed residential and commercial and industrial DR programs. Key responsibilities include oversight of DR offerings; program planning and budgeting; contract negotiation and management; coordination of regulatory compliance activities including evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) and reporting of program results; employee development and customer service.
Upholds the safety compliance standards inherent in PSE’s operating and/or field procedures related to work responsibilities. Promotes and supports a culture of total safety.
Demonstrates commitment to conduct business honestly, ethically and consistent with our core values and Code of Conduct. Ensures duties are performed in accordance with all regulatory compliance obligations.
- Employee Safety, Development & Team Building - Provides employees with coaching, feedback, and developmental opportunities and building effective teams:.
- Encourages a positive culture through empowerment, accountability, creativity, and trust.
- Leads appropriate program planning teams to develop a successful portfolio of customer energy management programs and services.
- Accountable for market analysis, product design, budget, program goals, deployment, and operations of services conducted by a team of energy professionals.
- Advances diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, including the equitable design and delivery of programs.
- Monitors service metrics and works with the team to ensure adjustments are being made as necessary to achieve desired results.
- Provides regular reports on program achievements and updates, including those for regulatory filings.
- Supports complex customer intake requests. Handles escalated customer issues.
- Collaborates with both PSE internal departments and vendors to resolve the root cause of an issue and to deliver an excellent customer experience.
- Facilitates solutions to unique problems by leveraging employees’ technical skills, and providing guidance with regards to PSE’s business initiatives.
- Assignments involve a substantial degree of complexity, with many interrelated elements, requiring considerations not previously encountered.
- Works closely with peer leaders across the company to ensure alignment of program design and activities such as program eligibility, customer service, training, and communications.
- Negotiates contracts, manages relationships, and reviews the work of program delivery vendors.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
CLICK HERE to read the full job description and apply.
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Virtual Peaker and ICF Partner with Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation to Launch EV ChargeSmart Program
The EV ChargeSmart Program aims to achieve cost savings and grid resilience by encouraging participants to voluntarily adjust their EV charging patterns and earn year-round incentives for charging vehicles during off-peak hours.
Posted February 19, 2024
February 15, 2024; Louisville, KY – Virtual Peaker, a cloud-based SaaS company empowering modern utilities with the friendliest distributed energy platform on the planet, and ICF (NASDAQ:ICFI), a global consulting and technology services provider, collaborated with Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation (Central Hudson) to launch the EV ChargeSmart Program. EV ChargeSmart aims to achieve cost savings and grid resilience by encouraging participants to adjust their EV charging patterns voluntarily.
Central Hudson is a regulated transmission and distribution utility serving over 315,000 electric and 90,000 natural gas customers in New York State’s Mid-Hudson River Valley, from suburban New York City to Albany.
Virtual Peaker’s distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) suite, Shift, connects to at-home electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) or EV telematics and adjusts the charging of a participant’s device to ease the stress on the grid and benefit the community.
“We launched the EV ChargeSmart Program to support Central Hudson’s electric grid during periods of high electricity demand,” explained Marwa Chowdhury, Associate Program Manager at Central Hudson.
The EV ChargeSmart Program offers eligible customers a $25 incentive for enrolling their EVSE and/or EV and ongoing participation incentives based on their off-peak charging habits. Participants located in load-growth areas (areas where distributed energy resources can be used to defer or eliminate the need for upgrades to the grid) may be eligible to earn additional incentives by responding to conservation events during the summer season of June through September. During a conservation event, Central Hudson will use Virtual Peaker’s Shift suite to pause or reduce participants’ charging sessions to balance the demand on the grid.
CLICK HERE to read the full press release.
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