Understanding Distributed Energy and the Future of the Grid - Insights from Industry Leaders

Parks Associates hosted its 14th annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer?this week in Austin, Texas addressing the evolution of the consumer utility market, the impact of COVID-19 on energy management programs, and new opportunities to drive engagement in utility-sponsored programs.

Smart Energy Summit?was hosted in person and also has virtual sessions throughout 2023. The event features Parks Associates #research and is sponsored by CSA - Connectivity Standards Alliance , Rapid Response Monitoring , 凯易讯 , 谷歌 , 施耐德电气 , Austin Energy , Questline Digital , Resideo , and Copper Labs .

Below are some key insights from our amazing line up of speakers. If you are interested in getting involved in our events, contact Angela Boeke or Ashton Gambrell .

A glimpse into our first?#SmartEnergy?keynote presentation today from?Jigar Shah, Head of Energy Services at?Electrify America!

????? Jigar shared details about a major announcement regarding the groundbreaking of Electrify America Solar Glow? 1, the new 75 MW solar PV project in San Bernardino County, CA that was included in the official?#WhiteHouse?fact sheet this morning:?https://bit.ly/3lFj1eR??????

Below are some insights from Jigar's presentation, "Vehicle-Grid Integration for the Nation’s Largest Open DC Fast Charging Network"

? "This is the largest roll out of onsite behind-the-meter battery energy storage couples with ultra-fast DC chargers in North America."

? "There is no excuse not to use an electric vehicle with so many charging options. Fast reliable charging is everything!"

? "To put Electrify America’s 1st non-wire alternative in Baker, CA into perspective, the energy storage system when fully charged, could provide enough energy for an average household for over three months on the single charge”

? "Electrify America’s Energy Storage + DCFC is the largest virtual power plant of its kind operating in CAISO with over 2500 Demand Response events to date." #FactSheet?#BreakingNews?#WhiteHouseFactSheet?#ElectricVehicle?#EV?#ElectrifyAmerica?#SolarGlow?#SolarGlow1?#DC

How do utilities interact with the communities they serve?

KJ Feder, Vice President of Community Impact for?CPS Energy?discusses this with our President & CMO?Elizabeth Parks?during her?#SmartEnergy23?Fireside Chat. ?????

?? A few of KJ's insights below ??

?? “For my team individually, we focus on how we can help our customers keep their?#power. Not only reducing?#bills?but also how to proactively reduce the customer’s?#energy?burden and stretch their?#savings?even further.”

?? “We emphasize smart?#EnergyEducation?to the community as well as?#careers?in the energy field.”

?? “One of our most successful programs is our?#weatherization?program. It is free to moderate and low-income customers to weatherize and seal their homes to reduce energy consumption and costs.?#Weatherproofing?doesn’t cross people’s minds when they have to focus on how to put food on the table.”

?? "We have worked to use data-sharing programs to develop a critical care list of consumers who depend on?#MedicalDevices?during a?#power?outage. We do wellness checks, call people on the phone to make sure they are okay, and bring them anything they need like battery packs for devices and connect them with resources when we learn of any?#outages."

?? “The most effective way we reach our lower-income customers is with targeted?#community?outreach events. We literally go and knock on doors ahead of the events and have conversations with people. It really makes a difference to have a relationship and personal contact with the community.”

?? "A caring approach goes a really long way, especially when consumers are scared of losing power."

A glimpse into our last?#SmartEnergy23?panel discussion today, Energy as a Service and New Business Models, highlighted by?Austin Energy! ?

Forward-thinking?#utilities?are investigating strategies to integrate multiple devices and aggregate?#data?to deliver a truly comprehensive and actionable picture to consumers of their household?#energy?consumption. These offerings will help build positive consumer engagement, open avenues to expand service portfolios, and ultimately generate new revenues, even as?#EnergyConsumption?is reduced. This session addressed market expansion and growth in energy services, new business models, and partnership success. ?????

?? INDUSTRY INSIGHTS ??

"At Con Edison, our demand response model is working with new aggregators in the space developing applications and technology for not only demand response but also energy as a service models,"?Gerrianna Cohen, Demand Response Strategy Manager,?Con Edison

"#MachineLearning?is a large part of what we're looking at in the?#B2B?space,"?Geoff Ferrell, Vice President of VPP and C&I Project Business,?sonnen GmbH

"These things have helped us take the AMI data and notify members that they had a water leak. Having smart devices for demand response has helped with heating and air problems as well to benefit the consumer," Scott Hammond, Member Programs Manager,?Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.

"There's definitely a spectrum of opportunity within different energy as a service models. Investors are interested in the money made by demand response programs but don't always know the technical side of it. There is a huge role for aggregators in providing flexibility in the market,"?Donald McPhail, General Manager, Residential Business Line,?Uplight

#business?#technology?#strategy?#conference

Thank you to our sponsors, attendees, and speakers for making this a great event. If you missed the insights from yesterday, check out this Summary.

We hope to see you in Dallas at Smart Spaces and CONNECTIONS, co-located with our CONNECTED HEALTH SUMMIT. If you have questions about Parks Associates research or events, please contact me or our team today.