An Ignoble Experiment

2. CA adopts game-changing energy storage targets

National Grid has opened New England's first-of-its-kind Sustainability Hub located within the company's smart grid pilot area in Worcester, Mass. The 2,200 square foot interactive space, donated by Clark University, is an integral part of National Grid's Smart Energy Solutions Program -- the largest smart grid program in Massachusetts -- providing hands-on education about energy efficiency and emerging energy technologies.

Artist's rendering of the Sustainability Hub. Credit: Business Wire

National Grid's Sustainability Hub houses interactive exhibits and educational materials to demonstrate the advanced technology offered as part of the program that will help customers maximize energy savings. This includes helping customers "try-on" in-home energy use displays, programmable thermostats, and dynamic pricing options.

Demonstrations include energy efficiency treatments such as windows, spray-in insulation and tankless water heaters; displays feature controllable and programmable appliances while exhibits on advanced meters, smart grid electricity system devices and renewables will be on-hand. An interactive energy management tool allows Hub visitors to learn more about energy choice. The Sustainability Hub will also feature a community exhibit area that showcases the efforts by local organizations that under way throughout the city.

The Sustainability Hub was renovated using sustainable materials and energy-efficient equipment, and features Worcester's first street-side electric vehicle charging station.

National Grid's smart grid program, which was developed in partnership with customers, the city of Worcester and other key parties, provides participating customers with a new level of choice and control over their energy use through advanced technology, with the goal of empowering customers to save energy, potentially increasing electric service reliability and improving response to power outages.

"This facility [is] the first of its kind in the state and represents a larger effort by National Grid to modernize its grid with the smart grid pilot program in Worcester," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan in a statement. "The Hub will connect National Grid's customers with the information and tools available to make cost-effective energy decisions in their homes and businesses. "

The Smart Energy Solutions pilot was approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities in August 2012; a full pilot launch is planned for 2014.

"The centerpiece of our Smart Energy Solutions Program is to take a listen, test and learn approach while delivering substantive benefits to customers," said Marcy Reed, president, National Grid. "Our unique Sustainability Hub is a tangible testament to the dialog we will continue with customers and the community. The Hub literally shows that we are here with customers each day and connected to the community on this program and so much more."

For more:
- see this report

Read more about: National Grid, Sustainability Hub
back to top

This week's sponsor is A. Cullen & Associates, Inc.

Visit our new site at www.acullen.com to view our expanded recruiting and career marketing services!

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Comment |

3. Pecan Street conducting Smart Solutions research trial

The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has unanimously passed a decision to build high-tech energy storage systems that will further enable California's renewable energy future and move the state closer to building a modern, sustainable power grid, establishing an energy storage target of 1,325 MW for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric by 2020, with installations required no later than the end of 2024.

Long Beach, California. Credit: WPPilot/Wikimedia Commons

The guiding principles of the decision are 1) the optimization of the grid, including peak reduction, contribution to reliability needs, or deferment of transmission and distribution upgrade investments; 2) the integration of renewable energy; and, 3) the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, per California's goals.

According to the decision, the state's investor-owned utilities must begin buying a combined 200 MW of energy storage technology by 2014 and reach 1.3 GW (1,325 MW) by the end of 2020. This is currently the largest target in the world and is likely to increase California's installed capacity sixfold from its current 35 MW.

The decision, pursuant to Assembly Bill 2514, directs the utilities to file separate procurement applications containing a proposal for their first energy storage procurement period by March 1, 2014. The decision further establishes a target for community choice aggregators and electric service providers to procure energy storage equal to 1 percent of their annual 2020 peak load by 2020 with installation no later than 2024, consistent with the requirements for the utilities.

The decision allows utilities to employ energy storage for a variety of functions throughout the electric power system, such as capacity, ancillary services, and peak shaving, which in turn will provide real-world data for further market expansion. Energy storage systems can be deployed in three "grid domains" -- transmission-interconnected, distribution-interconnected and behind-the-meter-interconnected.

Energy storage technologies are a key enabler for renewable energy in strengthening the grid and shaving peak loads. Although only emerging as a commercially viable industry, energy storage holds a potential to change the way energy industry operates, according to Frost & Sullivan. Currently, a host of new technology solutions are on the edge of commercialization or being tested on an industrial scale, and Frost & Sullivan predicts major energy storage breakthroughs in the next two to four years.

"Energy storage has the potential to be a game changer for our electric grid, and I fully support the goals of grid optimization, integration of renewable energy, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions," said CPUC Commissioner Mark J. Ferron. "As the utilities procure storage, we should evaluate the projects on whether or not they fulfill a system need at a reasonable cost."

For more:
- see the decision

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Comment |

4. DoD driving vehicle-to-grid development

Consumer-energy research organization Pecan Street Inc. is launching a new program that will provide low-income communities with energy management solutions that empower them to make smarter choices about their energy use and save money. The new program will conduct a unique home-energy research trial -- the Smart Solutions for Affordable Housing program.

Funded through a cash grant from the Verizon Foundation, the program will use Verizon Wireless' network and 4G LTE routers as the backbone for circuit-level monitoring systems, smart thermostats and a new mobile application for monitoring home energy use.

"Verizon and Pecan Street share a commitment to using big data and the latest advanced technologies to help residents protect their family finances, be more comfortable in their homes and improve the environment," said Pecan Street CEO Brewster McCracken.

For many low-income households, the cost of residential energy remains unaffordable. According to data presented by the U.S. Energy Information Association in 2012, the average household spends $1,945 annually on heating, cooling, appliances, electronics and lighting. Households with the lowest 20 percent of income spent nearly 6 percent of their income on energy bills.

Pecan Street has already begun recruiting volunteer households from four multifamily buildings and installing home-energy monitoring systems that provide real-time, circuit-level and whole-home electricity information to customers and researchers.

The results of this research will provide valuable benefits to the low-income families in the project and to organizations providing services that affect families' energy bills. To further showcase the outcomes of the program and help stakeholders understand the impact that the energy management solution can have on low-income residences, the quarterly energy usage reports will be published throughout the two-year project, with a final report to be released at the end of 2015.

For more:
- see this fact sheet

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Comment |

5. HGI, Broadband Forum partner on Smart Home standards

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, which enable plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) to participate in ancillary services for the power grid, have been in development since the beginning of the modern electric vehicle era, but are only now beginning to emerge in revenue-generating applications. Today, the market is miniscule, according to Navigant Research, with worldwide capacity additions from V2G systems totaling less than 9 MW in 2013. However, the V2G market will grow steadily over the next 10 years with worldwide revenue from V2G frequency regulation growing from less than $900,000 annually in 2013 to $190.7 million by 2022, according to the research.

Roman Boed from The Netherlands/Wikimedia Commons

"Business models for V2G technologies are starting to emerge in select markets around the world," said Scott Shepard, research analyst with Navigant Research. "Large corporations and government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Defense, are driving V2G development and laying the foundation for individually owned electric vehicles to participate in grid services in the second half of this decade."

Despite the many benefits of using V2G technologies to supply ancillary services for the grid, PEV owners must overcome several challenges, including the structure of the local electricity market. Deregulated markets are the most accessible test beds and launch points for market participation near-term while regulated markets governed by vertically integrated utilities provide ancillary services internally, and therefore may have limited access for independent power producers, energy service companies, or fleets seeking to test V2G business models, according to Navigant.

For more:
- see this report

Related Article:
Electric vehicles and the smart grid

Read more about: V2G, Department of Defense
back to top

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Comment |