September 7
Austin Energy EV Efforts Get a Boost
Top consumer smart grid news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Austin Energy is preparing to hit the ground running to expand EV charging stations and electrify the city's transportation sector with the aid of $3.2 million approved by the Austin City Council. The funds will provide for the installation of EV charging stations that support multiple initiatives. Austin Energy intends to deploy 10 public fast-charging EV stations while providing charging infrastructure to support the city’s plan to replace 330 gas vehicles with EVs.
SEPA recently announced the release of its 2018 Utility Energy Storage Market Snapshot, its second annual overview of the energy storage market. The report uses data and survey responses submitted directly by 137 U.S. utilities that represent more than 82 million customer accounts. The study found that U.S. utilities interconnected 216.7 MW, or 523.9 MWh, of energy storage to the grid across 2,588 systems in 2017.
GBA has launched its Green Button Connect My Data Certification Program for data custodians. Utilities providing customers access to their electricity, natural gas or water data by utilizing the Green Button standard are now able to ensure their programs are Green Button standards-compliant and meet goals for both customer privacy and secure data sharing.
Itron contracted with NV Energy to implement Itron’s IntelliSOURCE Express demand response management system. Taking advantage of the latest technology in demand management, NV Energy successfully implemented IntelliSOURCE Express to manage the utility’s agricultural demand response program that is designed to help ensure a stable grid and energy supply.
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Industry News
Community solar in Minnesota hit a record 401 MW of operational capacity earlier this month, according to the Institute for Local Self Reliance. The program, has grown since January 2017, when its first 36.4 MW became operational. However, there has been a drop in new applications this year, so much of that growth is based on projects that were slated earlier.
Nest has deployed more than 11 million devices to date, and it has linked up hundreds of thousands of those device customers in utility energy efficiency and demand response programs. It’s also inked a lot of “Works With Nest” partnerships – integrations with various brands of smart door locks, security cameras, networked lights, smart appliances and, of course, different apps for its home networking ecosystem.
APS customers across the state are now benefiting from APS Solar Communities, a new program making renewable energy more accessible to those who otherwise may not have the financial means to use solar power. Designed specifically for limited- and moderate-income customers, APS Solar Communities approved participants agree to have a rooftop solar system installed at no cost.
In a first for the industry, there were more home energy storage installations in the second quarter than front-of-the-meter installations, according to the latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewable Energy Consulting and the Energy Storage Association. The total U.S. energy storage market deployed 156.5 MWh in Q2, marking a 24 percent increase from the 126.3 MWh in Q1.
