Community owned utility Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) has selected UK tech developer Electron’s flexibility marketplace in its innovation drive for resiliency.
Electron will deploy its ElectronConnect platform that will enable SVCE to procure flexibility from customers with distributed energy resources such as battery storage and smart thermostats and unlock the value these can provide to their owners and the broader community.
California’s approach to creating local flexibility markets has come under enhanced scrutiny since the state suffered rolling blackouts in August 2020, with recommendations to accelerate the deployment and integration of demand side resources.
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In the first phase, Electron will work with SVCE to deliver a prototype of a local marketplace, as well as a roadmap for piloting this market with end customers as a fully deployed market.
“Achieving a reliable and carbon-free grid requires new technologies, policies and partnerships,” said Girish Balachandran, SVCE CEO.
“Local market solutions are essential to enabling the transition to a reliable, affordable and clean, electric future.”
Project ResponDER is Electron’s first deployment of the ElectronConnect platform in a US market.
The project is one of four selected by SVCE to pilot is its latest Innovation Onramp initiative to build energy resiliency in the community.
Among other Innovation Onramp projects home energy products provide Span.IO will install its smart electrical panels in homes across the SVCE service territory. The panel provides the homeowner with detailed insight into their electricity consumption and enables electric appliances to intelligently respond to grid conditions.
Software provider Extensible Energy and Community Energy Labs will demonstrate that load management technology can reduce electricity costs and enable schools to cost-effectively install battery back-up and serve as community resilience centres.
Outthink will provide e-bikes and implement low-cost streetscape modifications to demonstrate the benefits and challenges of mode shifting and active transportation.
