Energy Biz - July/August 2008 - (Page 40h) GridPoint SmartGrid Platform Xcel Energy: SmartGridCity In May 2008, Xcel Energy selected GridPoint’s platform for its SmartGridCity™, a $100 million effort to provide customers in Boulder, Colorado, with a portfolio of smart grid technologies for environmental, financial and operational benefits. Xcel Energy is evaluating a variety of GridPoint’s platform capabilities, including: Advanced Demand Management Supply Management Solar PV Integration PHEV Smart Charging Single Interface for Control of Distributed Energy Resources Online Energy Management Instant Backup Power Performance Monitoring and Customer Support aT gridpoinT, our mission is To makE ThE smarT grid a reality by aligning the interests of electric utilities, consumers and the environment. GridPoint’s innovative smart grid platform empowers utilities to optimize electrical grid management, achieve business objectives, increase grid reliability, promote environmental stewardship and fuel the adoption of renewable energy sources. The GridPoint SmartGrid Platform™ applies information technology to the electric grid to provide utilities with an intelligent network of distributed energy resources that controls load, stores energy and produces power. The platform aggregates distributed energy resources and provides utility control through a single Web-based interface, thereby providing the equivalent performance of central station generation. For consumers, GridPoint’s platform provides protection from power outages, increases energy efficiency through online energy management and integrates renewable energy, paving the way for the commercial success of solar and wind energy sources. Duke Energy and Xcel Energy are among the utilities nationwide working with GridPoint. Duke Energy: PHEV Smart Charging In March 2008, Duke Energy announced positive results from what is believed to be the first commercial test of utility-controlled “smart charging” for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). GridPoint’s platform successfully controlled, measured and verified the charging of a PHEV parked in a residential garage in Duke’s territory. GridPoint’s smart charging capability enables utilities to control charging regardless of when consumers plug in their PHEVs, allowing utilities to limit peak load growth, optimize generating assets and offer customers significantly reduced charging costs by billing lower rates for off-peak charging. “Smart charging is an essential capability for Duke and all electric utilities as PHEVs enter the market. Through this capability, we’re able to reduce stress on the grid during peak periods and keep rates low.” CTO, Duke Energy – david mohlEr “GridPoint provides an intelligent platform to aggregate and control a variety of energy resources in the home or business. We’ll be able to test and confirm capabilities to meet the individual needs of our customers while also deploying new capabilities for balancing supply and demand in a clean and efficient manner.” – michaEl carlson, 8 CIO, Xcel Energy
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