Navigant Research Names AutoGrid a Leader in Virtual Power Plant Software

AutoGrid Systems, the Energy Internet leader, announced that Navigant Research has positioned AutoGrid as a Leader in its Navigant Research Leaderboard Report: Virtual Power Plant Software Vendors. Navigant Research also recently named AutoGrid a Leader in its Navigant Research Leaderboard Report: Demand Response Management Systems, making it the only company with the distinction of being positioned as a Leader in both the virtual power plant (VPP) and demand response management system (DRMS) flexibility management categories.

VPP and DRMS are two of the leading use cases within the broader flexibility management software category. Flexibility management software allows regulated and deregulated energy companies to manage and monetize the vast network of connected distributed energy resources (DERs) that are rapidly being deployed at the grid edge. These DERs include distributed solar power systems, smart inverters, battery storage systems, smart thermostats, water heaters, pool-pumps, residential EV chargers, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, building lighting systems and industrial control equipment in large factories.

Flexibility management software enables utilities, electricity retailers and other energy service providers to manage these diverse resources across all their customers from a single dashboard, and also launch new services that increase revenues, drive customer engagement and improve overall system reliability. Unlike other point solutions, AutoGrid Flex, the first fully integrated flexibility management software solution, supports all flexibility management use cases — demand response management systems (DRMS), distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) and virtual power plants (VPPs) — across all assets and all customer segments from a single, easy to deploy dashboard. With more than 2,000 megawatts (MW) of DERs under contract, AutoGrid Flex is the industry’s most proven flexibility management software solution on the market today.

Capturing New Revenue Streams with Additional Flexible Capacity

Navigant Research’s VPP Software Vendor Leaderboard report states that the AutoGrid VPP application, part of the AutoGrid Flex application suite, “can aggregate and monetize tens of thousands of flexible resources in energy markets in real-time, enabling energy providers to create additional flexible capacity and capture new revenue streams.”

The report further states that “by providing utilities and aggregators with forecasting and asset optimization capabilities, the AutoGrid VPP helps them capture more value from flexible resources in wholesale energy markets through granular aggregation and control capabilities.”

“The energy industry is increasingly demanding VPP solutions that can analyze streaming, real-time data from thousands of energy resources to deliver accurate and granular insights on future and real-time VPP performance — one capability where AutoGrid scored highly,” said Peter Asmus, principal research analyst with Navigant Research. “In addition, VPP solutions that can integrate a diverse mix of demand response, battery storage, generation and other flexible energy resources — functionality provided by AutoGrid VPP — is one of the ultimate goals for VPPs, as a synergistic sharing of grid resources allows energy service providers to wring more value out of these resources, increasing return on investment while reducing capital costs.”

“Utilities, electricity retailers and other energy service providers are quickly recognizing that they need a proven and scalable flexibility management solution to serve all their residential, commercial and industrial customers, and to manage a variety of resources across multiple regulated and deregulated markets, as they seek a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving new energy landscape,” said Dr. Amit Narayan, CEO of AutoGrid. “We are delighted that Navigant Research has recognized AutoGrid’s leadership in this fast growing market segment by naming AutoGrid a Leader across two of the most important flexibility management software categories, VPPs and DRMS.”

Flexibility Management: Extracting Maximum Value from Distributed Energy Resources

The Navigant Research report highlights several key VPP market trends that are impacting energy service providers as they seek to aggregate customer-owned flexible battery storage, distributed generation and demand-side resources, and turn these resources into new sources of revenue by monetizing them in energy markets.

These trends include the need for solutions that can collect and analyze multiple types of data from a variety of internal and third-party sources, support new types of distributed energy resources, particularly energy storage and demand response resources, and integrate VPPs seamlessly into wholesale energy markets and other transactive energy exchanges.

The AutoGrid Flex application suite, consisting of the AutoGrid VPP, AutoGrid DROMS, and AutoGrid DERMS applications, is a comprehensive flexibility management system that addresses these trends, and can be deployed on premise or in the cloud and in both regulated and deregulated energy markets.

AutoGrid Flex:

• Supports all DER assets including distributed battery storage, demand response and distributed generation — including solar, biomass generators and CHP (combined heat and power) plants — allowing energy service providers to aggregate and optimize a portfolio of DERs from a single integrated, automated platform.
• Enables co-optimization of resources for local site, regional distribution and ancillary services purposes simultaneously.
• Delivers pre-built connectivity and support for numerous global wholesale markets, enabling customers to build and implement a VPP in a matter of weeks.
• Provides a rich, engaging customer experience, with highly personalized programs and hassle-free enrollment and participation, increasing program participation and customer satisfaction.
• Uses state-of-the-art big data architecture, advanced analytics and machine learning to deliver reliable, accurate and highly optimized planning and dispatch.
• Reduces deployment costs thanks to its modular architecture, easy configurability, flexible Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) architecture and rich library of connectors and APIs.

Source : Marketwired