February 3
Four Ways Your Consumer is Changing Your Biz
Top consumer smart grid news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Opower managed to sneak a slightly early peek at the SGCC's most recent 2017 State of the Consumer Report released during the symposium “Beyond the Grid: Connecting Tomorrow’s Consumer.” After reading through all the details, they have a few suggestions on what the report teaches us all (and how utilities can prepare a little bit better for the coming consumer-centered universe).
Con Ed plans to test out a new way of using energy storage — one that puts the storage in front of the meter, and encourages customers to host batteries through leases. The demonstration project, outlined in a filing to the New York PSC, is part of the state’s REV plan. The project will use a new model for developing energy storage.
Tesla and SCE have brought online one of the largest lithium-ion energy storage systems in the world. The 20 MW system in Ontario, Calif., comprises of 396 Tesla power packs and can store up to 80 MWh of energy.
OG&E has selected SSN for a smart streetlight program, connecting and controlling up to 250,000 LED streetlights. SSN will deploy its IPv6 IoT platform and Streetlight Vision control software to connect and manage up to 250,000 LED street lights within its Oklahoma service territory. OG&E expects the intelligent lighting system to significantly enhance the quality of service and reliability for customers, improve the speed of street light restoration response in the event of outages and help drive increased system efficiencies and lower energy consumption.
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Industry News
Alaska’s largest utilities are looking to deploy smart meters to quickly identify outages and send consumption data back to the utility. According to a release, Matanuska Electric Association has replaced almost half of its 60,000 meters with smart meters.
Massachusetts plans to revamp its solar incentive program and extend its existing program to keep solar development moving in the state. State energy officials recently unveiled a new program that would set incentive payments for 10 to 20 years, depending on the size of the project. Under the proposed program, called Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, annual solar incentives are expected to fall to about $250 million from around $500 million.
TEP is enhancing the resiliency of the local electric grid with three innovative energy storage facilities. One includes a recently completed construction of a 10-MW lithium nickel-manganese-cobalt energy storage system at a TEP substation near Interstate 10 and West Grant Road. The system is now helping to maintain reliable service for customers during periods of high energy demand by supporting stable voltage.
Burlington Electric Department’s energy efficiency initiative energyChamp is now available to residential customers in Burlington, Vermont. The decision by the Burlington Electric Department to expand its energy efficiency program to residential consumers, follows the utility’s success in helping owners of multi-unit residential apartments to significantly reduce their energy usage and costs in the first phase.
