July 26
ComEd Solar Users on Rise
Top consumer smart grid news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
ComEd officials said solar users are on the rise, noting customers are receiving compensation for excess energy generated from renewable energy sources, such as rooftop solar panels. More than 4,000 ComEd customers are receiving solar compensation; an increase from 900 customers two years ago. The uptick reflects the transition to a cleaner future in Illinois gaining momentum. Residential and commercial customers owning or operating an eligible private solar energy system of up to 2,000 kilowatts and generate electricity for their own use may qualify for net metering savings.
Consolidated Edison and its subsidiary Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R) recently issued a joint request for proposals to procure at least 310 MW of bulk storage — 300 MW from Con Edison and 10 MW from O&R. The projects must be operational by Dec. 31, 2022 and eligible for a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority incentive, according to the RFP.
National Grid is partnering with SolarEdge Technologies to use the company’s StorEdge inverters for customers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The StorEdge inverters will be used in National Grid’s new ConnectedSolutions program, which allows customers to reduce electric use during periods of high energy through connected devices. Owners of new and pre-installed StorEdge inverters can receive financial incentives for participating in National Grid’s ConnectedSolutions program.
The smart grid solutions firm has named Tom Deitrich to the position of president and chief executive officer. Phillip Mezey, who was CEO since 2013, announced his retirement earlier this year and will work with Deitrich to ensure a smooth transition. Tom Deitrich will take over the CEO role as from August 6. The new CEO will also join Itron’s board of directors after serving as Itron’s executive vice president and chief operating officer since October 2015.
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Industry News
Despite overbooked flights with undersized seats and frequent delays, the airline industry earns higher customer satisfaction scores than the utilities sector in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Still, the electric industry has its share of high-flyers that are leading the way in exceeding customer expectations. What sets top-tier utilities apart?
Leap, the San Francisco-based startup with software that’s dispatching big building HVAC systems, EV charging fleets, and other distributed energy resources to serve California’s grid, has a new partner to test a novel pathway to mass-market residential demand response. On Tuesday, Leap unveiled details of a partnership with Google Nest, the flagship product line of Google’s smart home division.
Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO) has submitted to state regulators its final proposed renewables solicitation, laying out how it plans to acquire a range of non-emitting energy resources over the next five years to replace coal and oil-fired power plants. HECO says it plans to seek approximately 900 MW of new renewables, capable of generating about two million MWh each year.
New York State officials signed contracts for two offshore wind projects which will bring nearly 1,700 megawatts of energy to the state. It is the largest renewable energy procurement by a state in U.S. history, officials say. The wind projects will power more than one million homes combined and create more than 1,600 jobs. State officials say they will generate $3.2 billion in economic impact. New York has awarded about 4,700 megawatts of renewable energy contracts since March 2018. The state has a goal of having 9,000 MW of wind power by 2035.
