May 2
Why Customer Engagement Is the Key to VPP Success
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
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As electricity demand soars – driven by AI-powered data centers, the rise of EVs and beyond – the U.S. grid is feeling the strain. Experts estimate that AI alone could drive a 67 GW increase in energy demand over the next five years, a challenge the U.S. grid is not currently equipped to handle. And while new generation is in the works, building supply fast enough to keep up is a near impossibility.
Powerley has launched BillWise AI – a next-generation software platform that empowers consumers and customer service representatives with billing insights, disaggregated energy analysis and personalized savings recommendations. Built on a secure technology foundation designed to safeguard customer privacy, BillWise AI is the first and only tool that offers both a consumer‑facing web portal and a CSR‑focused dashboard.
Illinois is going to need a whole lot more workers to realize its clean energy aspirations. The state has some of the nation’s most ambitious climate laws, with a target of transitioning to 100-percent clean energy by 2050. In 2030 – just five years from now – it aims to achieve 40-percent renewable energy. The shift away from fossil fuels could create more than 150,000 jobs in Illinois by mid-century, according to a 2022 study commissioned by ComEd.
The energy industry is braced for short-term uncertainty caused by global instability, but remains optimistic in the long-term, according to DNV’s annual Energy Industry Insights survey. The report finds that political risk is seen as the leading barrier to growth for the year ahead, with the perceived momentum of the energy transition slowing. Only 55 percent of energy professionals now believe the transition is accelerating, down sharply from 72 percent last year.
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Industry News
Conversations about AI and the power grid tend to focus on the demands that the developing technology will place on the country’s aging energy infrastructure. But Josh Brumberger, CEO of Utilidata, has a vision for how AI can actually help the grid. The Rhode Island-based grid technology company is working on what it calls “edge AI intelligence” – smart meters or grid control devices embedded with chipsets designed by leading AI chipmaker Nvidia.
Eversource is reaffirming its focus on solutions that lower barriers for customers in Massachusetts seeking to affordably adopt electrification technologies, specifically, heat pumps. Toward that end, the energy company recently filed a proposal that will require approval by the state’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to implement a residential electric heat pump rate. This new rate structure is designed to encourage heat pump adoption.
Danville Utilities, a municipal utility based in Danville, Virginia, is contracting for an 11-MW/44-MWh battery storage project to be built and owned by Lightshift Energy. Danville Utilities plans to use the storage facility to reduce its peak demand, which it expects will lower its demand and transmission charges by about $30 million over the 20-year life of the project.
Raymond Ward wants to see solar panels draped over every balcony in the United States and doesn’t understand why that isn’t happening. The technology couldn’t be easier to use – simply hang one or two panels over a railing and plug them into an outlet. The devices provide up to 800 watts, enough to charge a laptop or power a small fridge.
