By 2020, 85% of all customer interactions will be handled without human intervention. With Utilities already having to catch up in terms of customer experience with other, more front-facing industries, it becomes paramount that solutions be found as soon as possible.
Just as phones evolved from offering limited functionality to ultimately serving nearly all of our online needs, so too are inverters becoming an energy ecosystem, providing flexibility and growth to the PV industry. When coupled with an all-in-one app for energy control, this creates a new possibility for energy-efficient smart homes.
Renewable energy deployment goals are driving increasing penetration of distributed solar generation. If not deployed and controlled thoughtfully, this can threaten the stability of the distribution grid. Issues include voltage volatility, reverse power flows, and power quality concerns. Utilities have two paths to avoid this situation. The first is to limit solar interconnection. The second is to develop cost-effective control strategies. Partners Austin Energy and Doosan GridTech are pursuing the latter by deploying a DER management system (DERMS) to integrate over 3 MW of utility-owned energy storage systems (ESS), solar PV and distributed residential and commercial storage.
