You might think that Texas, where the governor and his followers believe renewable energy is a work of the devil, would be the last place in the United States where virtual power plant technology is offered to homeowners. But in fact, the Texas utility operator ERCOT is legally mandated to build the grid as cheaply as possible. That, in turn, leaves it open to system failures like the massive blackouts that hit the state in 2021 after a powerful winter storm.
The governor blamed renewables, but it was actually ERCOT that failed to foresee a weather event like this that made wind turbines so common in Texas unable to withstand freezing temperatures. These measures cost money, so of course they were not included when building the wind farm. Cheaper often means more money in the long run, as Texans discovered when electricity prices soared from 12 cents per kilowatt-hour to $3.00 per kilowatt-hour or more.
Updated Griddy Act! 1300 sq. ft. heat set to 60 degrees, no laundry service, no dishwasher, no stove/oven for cooking, only air fryer, lights out during the day, candles most nights, tv on part of the time. What they say I use 1772 kW. $5,000 @wfaa @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/r1eidadyur
— Kate and Tony (@katandtonyT) February 20, 2021
As a result of this frugality frenzy, Texas authorities have created a situation where installing a solar system with battery backup is better than continuing to rely on Greg Abbott and co to provide reliable, affordable solar systems Much cheaper electricity for the people of Texas.
Virtual Power Plant Program
Last week, Octopus Energy and Enphase announced a new partnership that will give residential customers the opportunity to integrate Enphase home solar and battery solutions into their energy plans to unlock low-cost residential energy prices. As part of the agreement, Octopus Energy will be able to flexibly control customers’ batteries to reduce usage of the grid when the grid is most constrained and help customers save hundreds of dollars annually, according to a press release. “Our partnership is just beginning. We look forward to expanding into new markets with world-class products and services, and together advancing a more sustainable future,” Octopus Energy said.
Octopus Energy’s proprietary software platform manages, controls and optimizes distributed energy resources. It plans to create a virtual power plant using Enphase home battery systems, and will bid for these distributed energy resources in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) ancillary market—a first-of-its-kind asset.
Octopus Energy, through its smart appliance retail energy program, Intelligent Octopus, can optimize how customers’ batteries interact with the grid, allowing customers to get the cheapest retail prices. Of course, during grid outages, by far the cheapest electricity is generated by home rooftop solar systems.
As Octopus Energy expands its retail energy business to states beyond Texas, it hopes the new partnership will lower costs for customers and promote a cleaner grid. “Our partnership with Enphase Energy is a critical step as we accelerate the renewable energy transition in the U.S. Load flexibility creates enormous value in a high-renewables grid, and energy retailers have the ability to customize electricity prices for customers unique capabilities, so this is a perfect fit to integrate the value of demand response into retail offerings, creating the opportunity for the cheapest prices for customers.”
“Retailers have the opportunity to lead the energy transition by combining customer-centric product offerings, modern technology and rate-setting institutions to create products that reduce costs and truly reduce carbon emissions,” said Michael Lee, CEO of Octopus Energy US. “We look forward to working with Enphase Energy as we develop a variety of low-cost and innovative rates to decarbonise our grid.”
“We’re excited to partner with Octopus Energy to provide Texas homeowners with home solar and batteries, helping them better manage their electricity costs and creating more resilience for everyone,” said Dave Ranhoff, Chief Commercial Officer, Enphase Energy. energy systems.” “Our partnership is just beginning. We look forward to developing new markets with world-class products and services, and together advancing a more sustainable future.”
The Octopus Energy and Enphase partnership comes as policymakers around the world look to leverage emerging technologies to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and remove barriers to clean energy growth. Together with Enphase, Octopus Energy will enable customers to optimize their virtual power plant home energy systems around easy participation in ancillary market and demand response programs for immediate savings.
This is the latest step in Octopus Energy’s mission to enable a smarter, greener future around the world. Founded in the UK in 2020, Octopus Energy is one of the UK’s most awarded energy companies and entered the US market in 2020. In 2022, it launched Octopus Electric Vehicles, its comprehensive demand response EV leasing program that accelerates accessibility and adoption of EVs and smart charging, and Smart Octopus, a smart demand response program that only allows Octopus Automatic smart charging for customers can reduce electricity bills by up to 30%.
EV Concierge Program
Last summer, Chris George, head of Octopus Electric Vehicles in the US, told clean technology“When visiting our website, users will see our EV Concierge program, sample EV options, and an invitation to fill out our form to see if they qualify for the beta program. If the customer is eligible, our EV Concierge will Eligible customers are offered white-glove services to assist would-be EV drivers throughout the search and vehicle leasing process, including selection and delivery of a new or pre-owned EV of their choice, installation of an EV home charger, and information on EV ownership best practices Education.New customers will get new EV rates.
“With the high demand for electric vehicles and the low supply of used and new electric vehicles, now is an important time for us to enter the electric vehicle space to help drivers transition to electric vehicle ownership as we drive electrification. Additionally, with our White glove services, including EV education, where we can walk customers through the process, making the switch easier than ever – building confidence in EV ownership and eliminating “fear of the unknown”.
In a recent article, we introduced readers to a new report circulating in the thin air of Davos this week that has identified three so-called “super tipping points” that could help the world out of climate change. The precipice of disaster. Octopus and Enphase are helping make this happen.
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