January 25
Tendril Grows Its Load Monitoring Operations
Top consumer smart grid news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Energy management company Tendril announced last week it has acquired energy analytics provider EEme, adding non-intrusive load monitoring capabilities to its data analytics platform. EEme's model uses a set of algorithms that follow patterns in the data from meter readings. Combined with Tendril's existing Home Energy Management platform, the technology could identify new EV owners and recommend a TOU rate.
When given the choice, more people are choosing to use renewable energy and most are making an effort to be efficient in saving electricity. Increasingly, affordable technologies and the growing availability of smart meter data are making it easier for customers to make a range of unprecedented energy choices. The question is, are these innovations reaching all energy customers?
Duke Energy has teamed up with Avista Development, a subsidiary of Avista Corp., to develop open source software for grid edge technology solutions through an investment in Open Energy Solutions Inc. “The software will use interoperability concepts and distributed intelligence, allowing utilities to more efficiently integrate, coordinate and optimize diverse assets,” the companies said in a statement. “This includes the energy grid, traditional and renewable generation, customer assets and more.”
Policy-driven, groundbreaking, electric vehicle-specific rate designs from California's top utilities could break down cost barriers to driving electric and support grid stability while protecting ratepayers. In September, California lawmakers enacted Senate Bill 1000 to advance the state's U.S.-leading transportation electrification effort. In December, CPUC opened a proceeding to develop a formal transportation electrification framework.
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Industry News
The New Hampshire PUC last Thursday issued an order to launch the state's first customer-sited battery storage program and time-of-use rate pilot. The proposal, developed by the PUC, Liberty Utilities and other stakeholders, will add up to 1,000 batteries to New Hampshire homes. Liberty Utilities will install 500 Tesla Powerwall 2 batteries and private companies will install the rest, after the utility compromised on its original December 2017 plan to allow third-party installers.
With states increasingly looking to provide low- and moderate-income customers with access to community solar, the Department of Energy’s NREL issued a report outlining program options for utilities and policymakers. Community solar allows multiple customers to participate in off-site solar facilities, often by making an upfront payment or monthly payments.
A recent report from the U.S. EIA predicts that renewable energy will grow at the fastest rate of all energy sources in the U.S. over the next two years. The report expects solar to grow by 10 percent during the coming year, followed by another 17 percent growth in 2020, with wind generation keeping close pace at 12 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
It's increasingly likely that conventional fossil-fuel power plants won't comprise the core of our future electricity grid. A growing number of state mandates require a transition to cleaner generation, while utilities are embracing renewable energy as key investment strategies. Xcel Energy's recent announcement to eliminate carbon emissions from its power plants by 2050 complements MidAmerican's pledge to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2020 without increasing customer rates.
