Palo Alto, Calif.-based AutoGrid Systems has unveiled its Energy Data Platform (EDP), a scalable and secure software platform for mining smart grid data, as well as its Demand Response Optimization and Management System (DROMS), a cloud-based demand management service.
Based on open protocols such as OpenADR, DROMS is a cloud-based service for implementing and managing a range of power management programs, such as direct load control, critical peak pricing, peak-time rebates and demand bidding. It does not require additional hardware. According to AutoGrid, DROMS has already been deployed and used in demand response programs for City of Palo Alto Utilities and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
Similar to e-commerce recommendation engines or algorithms for predicting weather, EDP uses petabytes of structured and unstructured data to create forecasts of future consumption and grid conditions by examining ongoing trends and relationships between many variables. With EDP, utilities can unearth usage patterns within their customer base or understand the impact of pricing signals, weather patterns and other variables on the behavior of their customers to anticipate grid stress, AutoGrid says.
"Utilities, grid operators and end-users all want to achieve a greater visibility into their power consumption and costs. A large portion of the electricity generated worldwide is simply wasted because it can't be dynamically monitored or controlled," says Amit Narayan, founder and CEO of AutoGrid. "Big data analytics and software-based controls will help balance supply with demand and ultimately turn software into the cheapest, cleanest source of power."
