Real-world tests show that EnergyHub’s ​‘dynamic load shaping’ tech can get thousands of thermostats and other devices to ramp up and down like a power plant.

Posted November 26, 2024

This week, EnergyHub is publishing the results of trial runs it conducted this spring and summer with Arizona Public Service in Arizona, Duke Energy in North Carolina, and National Grid in Massachusetts. Over several afternoons and evenings, EnergyHub tested its capabilities to get thousands of smart thermostats — and for National Grid, rooftop solar-charged batteries as well – to help the grid.

The company says its approach, known as dynamic load-shaping, will allow it to more precisely manage the 2 gigawatts of flexible capacity it now controls from about 1.4 million customer devices, said Paul Hines, EnergyHub’s vice president of power systems. The company is hoping that the successful test cases will help convince utilities and regulators that ​“virtual power plants can become a core part of their infrastructure,” he said.

Getting customers to turn down their air conditioners, water heaters, and other appliances to deal with rising electricity demand is a lot cheaper than building new power plants. Hines cited a U.S. Department of Energy report estimating that 80 to 160 gigawatts of VPP capacity could be unleashed across the country by 2030, enough to meet 10 to 20 percent of U.S. peak grid needs and save utility customers roughly $10 billion in annual costs.

“There’s broad agreement that there’s a need for this stuff,” he said. ​“But when you talk to grid operators, they still have a ton of skepticism about whether virtual power plants can be a valuable part of the core resource mix.”

That’s because traditional demand response programs that pay customers to let utilities turn down their thermostats and other appliances have some well-known features that can make them unreliable, he said.

A typical demand response event – say, one reacting to a heatwave — involves two key steps: The first is ​“precooling,” or ordering thermostats to ramp up air conditioning earlier in the day when the grid isn’t yet stressed, so that homes can ride through the hotter hours ahead. The second is the demand response event itself, during which temperature settings on thermostats are raised to reduce air-conditioning power use when overall grid demand reaches its peak. 

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Integration of FranklinWH whole-home energy management system with EnergyHub Edge DERMS platform expands customer hardware choice, helping utilities scale programs and enabling new cross-DER grid services capabilities.

Posted November 13, 2024

New York, November 11, 2024 – EnergyHub, a leading provider of grid-edge flexibility, and FranklinWH Energy Storage Inc. (FranklinWH), a leader in whole-home energy management, have partnered to integrate FranklinWH’s whole-home energy management system with EnergyHub’s Edge Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) platform. The partnership will maximize customer hardware choice, supporting the rapid growth of virtual power plants (VPPs) that can be used to curb peak electricity demand and provide additional grid services.

“Our partnership with FranklinWH will help maximize the value of VPPs for utilities across North America,” said Matt Johnson, VP Business Development at EnergyHub. “The integration accelerates program growth by allowing residential customers to participate with the devices of their choosing and will help utilities unlock new grid value through inclusion of batteries in cross-DER flexibility programs.”

FranklinWH is already participating in three utility programs in partnership with EnergyHub, spanning Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and North Carolina. For residential customers of participating utilities, the partnership opens new opportunities for homeowners to earn rewards for allowing the utility to discharge batteries during times of peak electricity demand, contributing to grid reliability. With the adoption of FranklinWH’s energy storage technology, homeowners will also have the added benefit of having whole home back up power during outages.

“FranklinWH has seen growing  interest from our customers in flexibility program participation, which makes us very pleased to work with EnergyHub to satisfy the market need,” said Vincent Ambrose, CCO at FranklinWH Energy Storage Inc. “As more and more utilities adopt VPPs, it’s important for all of us in the market to work closely to provide solutions.”

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Posted November 4 2024

Position Description
We invite you to join the Customer Energy Solutions' Design Management team of program managers and craft Seattle’s efficient and resilient energy future!

As a Senior Program Manager, you will lead cross-functional teams to develop and implement customer centric energy programs that enable an affordable, clean-energy future for our customers. Work assignments span strategic clean-energy initiatives such as efficiency, demand response, distributed energy resources, and more. You will report to the Energy Management Analyst Supervisor.
 
Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

Job Responsibilities
Here is more about what you’ll be doing:

Design Innovative Programs. Apply design-thinking and customer and contractor engagement tactics through an iterative program life cycle to craft, build, implement and be responsible for the operation of innovative clean-energy programs, ensuring that tools and documentation support efficient and effective program operation and delivery. 

Deliver on Business Objectives. Apply a standard program management framework to align partners and direct cross-functional teams to complete milestones and deliver on program objectives such as crafting a workplan, navigating sophisticated decision-making, handle budget and risk needs, and communicate success.

Manage Stakeholders. Establish and maintain positive working relationships with program stakeholders. Work with peers and leadership to identify resources and overcome barriers. Collaborate across divisions to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in our offerings. Represent City Light at public and professional events, maintaining relationships with industry associates and peer utilities.

Manage Contracts and Consultants: Build and lead consulting contracts to support effective program management. Identify scope of work and navigate purchasing and contracting processes to select, onboard, and coordinate ongoing delivery and invoicing of consulting resources.

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Posted November 3 2024

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 2024 —Edo, a leading provider of demand flexibility solutions, is proud to announce it is a project collaborator in a newly awarded $2 million grant from the California Energy Commission. The project, led by independent, non-profit energy R&D institute EPRI, will utilize community-based virtual power plant (VPP) approaches and advanced energy management systems (EMS) to optimize energy use at two Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools.

The Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program supports California’s clean energy goals by focusing on advancing early-stage clean energy technologies that provide direct benefits to ratepayers by improving grid reliability, lowering costs, and enhancing safety. Edo’s role in the project includes the deployment of its innovative VPP platform, which transforms existing building systems to become grid-interactive, efficient assets capable of responding to real-time grid needs.

The three-year demonstration will showcase the latest advancements in energy management systems and VPPs, focusing on enhancing the interoperability of energy management systems (EMS) and utilizing open-source standards. The project will also aim to significantly reduce energy consumption and effectively manage peak-hour loads during both summer and winter.

The project will focus on two disadvantaged community schools in LAUSD: Maywood High School and Maywood Center for Enriched Studies, encompassing over 285,000 square feet of building space. By using Edo’s innovative VPP technology, the schools will be transformed into grid-interactive buildings, reducing energy use while maintaining occupant comfort.

Edo’s VPP solution includes advanced controls and predictive load management to optimize heating, ventilation, and HVAC systems, and behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs), such as energy storage and electric vehicle (EV) charging. This will allow the schools to contribute to grid stability while maintaining occupant comfort and minimizing costs.

CLICK HERE to read the full press release.