Distributed energy resources (DERs) are changing the way utilities think about power generation and energy flow. Power generation, which used to be managed and controlled exclusively by the utility, is in more and more instances being controlled behind the meter at the hands of utility customers. There is also the dynamic of two-way energy flow, with many utilities allowing customers to sell power back to the utility.
DERs such as solar panels, wind turbines, microgrids and energy storage each bring with them different considerations and challenges when tracking their locations and impact on the overall energy portfolio. Plus, the ability for a utility to guarantee reliable and resilient power can come into question when DERs are not properly monitored, controlled and tracked.
TRC has 50+ years of distribution and power delivery engineering experience, 30+ years of advanced energy program design experience, plus TRC Digital offers end-to-end IT/OT consulting and integration solutions for controlling DERs, as well as optimizing grid assets and achieving maximum reliability through storage, sensing, prediction, and controls solutions.
When it comes to distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS), TRC has the product design and management experience that allows us to provide vendor evaluations and use case analysis to our utility clients. Based on what we uncover from a thorough evaluation process, we recommend one of our third-party DERMS partners to work with us to meet the utility customer’s challenges.
It is important for utilities to choose the right technology and services providers to help them manage the challenges that DERs present. Often, TRC leverages our strategic partner network to create new and innovative solutions to specifically match our clients’ issues and create the most customized and complete solution. Enbala is one of our best-in-class partners for many DERMS use cases.
Enbala is a technology company focused on real-time control and optimization of a wide variety of DERs. Their software platform, Enbala Concerto™, can control, manage and coordinate thousands of DER assets in seconds, making it an ideal candidate for TRC in many utility use cases for DERMS and virtual power plant (VPP) software.
Enbala’s Concerto provides a user-friendly platform to enable real-time grid balancing using a highly flexible approach to controlling and dispatching DERs. Concerto offers utilities a way to manage and optimize all their DERs with one platform that is agnostic to type of technology no matter what DER manufacturers are utilized, customer classes are targeted, and grid services are provided.
TRC and Enbala can offer utilities a multi-layered solution that highlights the strengths of each company. Together, TRC and Enbala can offer:
- Scalability for DERMs and VPP. Concerto is highly scalable – for one of their utility customers, the platform controls more than 10,000 assets.
- Delivery of the most advanced DER real-time control and optimization solution available in the market.
- Agility and speed to quickly control assets in response to real-time grid conditions.
- Integration capabilities to implement and connect Concerto to utility IT/OT systems and deploy adapters to directly connect to third-party cloud systems or devices.
- Utilization of open protocols to support a plug-and-play concept of DERs within a utility’s existing IT/OT infrastructure.
For more information on how TRC and our partner network can help with your next DERs project, contact Sachin Gupta at SGupta@TRCcompanies.com.
Sachin Gupta
Sachin Gupta is TRC’s vice president of sales for DER and system integration. He is responsible for helping build TRC’s distributed energy resource portfolio, which compromises IT/OT Integration and delivering best-of-breed, third-party software solutions. Prior to joining TRC, Gupta worked for OMNETRIC Group, where he was responsible for North American sales, and at Siemens as a product manager tasked with creating Siemens’ commercial demand response management software. Gupta has also worked at EnerNOC, Grantek and Johnson Controls, all within the energy and efficiency marketplace.