NYISO to Host Symposium on Energy Efficiency, Demand Response and Advanced Metering

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) will host a symposium entitled “The Future is Now: Energy Efficiency, Demand Response and Advanced Metering” on June 27, 2007, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Hotel in Albany, NY.

The event will bring together state and federal policymakers, energy service providers and financial experts to address current issues in energy efficiency, demand response and advanced metering. Speakers are scheduled to address the present status and focus of federal and state policies and programs, the latest research in the field and the potential for increased investment in the sector.

The role of independent system operators, such as the NYISO, in facilitating demand-side management and renewable energy development is becoming increasingly evident. “Well-structured regional wholesale electricity markets operated independently allow far greater amounts of renewable energy and demand response resources to be integrated into the nation’s electric grid,” according to a February 26, 2007 letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from the American Wind Energy Association and 21 other organizations supporting renewable power and energy efficiency.

“Governor Eliot Spitzer is promoting a clean energy strategy that includes reducing electricity use by 15 percent from forecasted levels by the year 2015. The New York State Public Service Commission has initiated a proceeding to establish an Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard. The NYISO will play an integral role in assisting the Empire State to achieve its energy policy goals, and we are pleased to host this conference as part of that effort,” said Mark Lynch, NYISO President and CEO.

“The NYISO’s demand response programs are making important contributions in stabilizing the bulk electricity grid during peak demand periods. When heat waves pushed the demand for electricity to record levels in 2006, demand response provided nearly 16,500 megawatt-hours of load reduction – more than in any previous summer. This year, more than 2,500 end-use customers – accounting for more than 1,600 megawatts – are registered to participate in our demand response programs,” Mr. Lynch remarked.

Registration for the June 27 symposium is available on-line or visit the NYISO website (www.nyiso.com). There is no fee for the event, but those interested in attending must register by June 20.

Powerit Raises $ 7,1 mm Series A

@Ventures, the venture capital business of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI), announced today that it has made a $3.0 million investment in Powerit Holdings, Inc., a developer of intelligent demand-side energy management solutions. @Ventures led the company’s $7.1 million Series A financing round, joined by new co-investor Expansion Capital Partners, and existing investors including Stellar Holdings and company management.

Powerit Holding’s US subsidiary, Powerit Solutions, provides energy demand response and demand control solutions for industrial and commercial companies. These easy-to-integrate, proprietary solutions enable major cost savings on electricity bills with no impact to productivity or quality, as demonstrated with hundreds of installations of the technology to date. Powerit Holding’s European subsidiary, Diana Control (www.diana.se), also provides an industry-leading building controls system for commercial building owners in the region.

Powerit Solutions is especially well-poised to support the growth of demand response (DR) services to the electric utility industry. Powerit’s main product, Energy Director™, automatically predicts, regulates, and lowers demand, and is a system approved for DR incentive programs by public utilities which have strong interest in finding cost saving and energy conservation solutions for large industrial users.

Clean and Intelligent Power Solutions Perform on Nasdaq with EnerNOC

Shares of EnerNoc Inc. rose $5.13, or 19.73%, to close at $31.13 per share in their Nasdaq debut Friday, May 18...
A very clear sign that financial markets' appetite for clean power is increasing. EnerNOC ranges amongst the top Demand Response Providers in the US, together with Comverge (also a successfull IPO few weeks ago), ConsumerPowerline, and Energy Curtailment Specialists. Those companies remotely manage and reduce electricity consumption across a network of customer sites, to make demand response capacity and energy available to grid operators and utilities on demand. This allows namely to replace very expensive and very dirty peak power plants.
The Demand Response Provider business model has not extended outside North America yet, and is expected to grow worldwide in the coming years. Please indicate noteworthy initiatives in this field!

ComEd Receives International Award for Its Power Reduction Programs

CHICAGO, April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ComEd received the Peak Load Management Alliance's Outstanding Achievement in Demand Response award today for its portfolio of energy reduction programs designed for residential, commercial and industrial customers.

The PLMA, an association of leading energy organizations dedicated to developing and promoting consumer participation in power reduction programs, presented the award to ComEd executives today at the group's annual awards ceremony in Toronto, Ontario.

"We are very pleased to have received the PLMA's recognition for our customer participation energy reduction efforts," said Sharon Hillman, ComEd vice president of resource adequacy and environmental programs.

"ComEd has taken an active approach regarding the development of its demand response programs, which have been one of the strongest in the nation for nearly three decades."

Demand response programs are a critical component to ensure the reliability of the regional electrical distribution network and reduce the need to add additional generation load during periods of peak customer demand.

Under ComEd's demand response programs in 2006, more than 61,000 residential, commercial and industrial participants reduced their electric load during times of peak power demand by up to 1,295 megawatts, which represents about 5.5 percent of ComEd's total peak distribution load of 23,613 MW. In one program for example, residential customers participating in the company's Nature First initiative can receive up to a $40 seasonal bill credit for allowing ComEd to cycle off their central air conditioning unit for brief periods during peak summer demand times.

ComEd customers, no matter what company they purchase their electricity from, can receive additional information on the company's demand response programs by visiting the ComEd Customers' Affordable Reliable Energy (CARE)

Utility studies energy storage in car batteries

PG&E is considering a plan that would let fleets of electric vehicles use their excess power to recharge the grid during periods of peak demand.

SAN FRANCISCO — California's biggest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., is considering a plan to charge fleets of battery-powered cars overnight with wind energy and let consumers sell back some of the stored electricity during the day.

In addition to reducing oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from standard cars, the plan could help stoke production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and give power managers more energy capacity on the grid for hot summer afternoons, speakers said at a "clean technology" investment conference in San Francisco this week.

The utility, a subsidiary of PG&E Corp., "could recharge car batteries through electric outlets during the off-peak overnight hours and recharge the grid from the batteries during critical peak demand periods," said Hal LaFlash, its director of energy policy and planning.

More than 20 states have adopted measures that order electric utilities to add more renewable, cleaner energies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass to their energy supplies.

In California, wind power is the biggest renewable energy source, providing more than 2,500 megawatts of electricity. About 4,600 megawatts of wind-generated electricity are projected to be added to meet the state's goal for renewable supplies, LaFlash said.

Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy also is studying so-called smart-grid technologies and the idea of recharging hybrid electric vehicles and feeding excess power back to the grid.

A six-month study in Colorado found that electric cars may reduce the overall cost of owning a car and with new grid technology may cut harmful vehicle emissions by as much as 50%.

More studies will include plug-in electric vehicle field tests and will examine management of battery charging along with the availability of renewable energy, Xcel said.

However, the technology to allow car batteries to feed electricity back to the power grid is probably at least five to six years away, Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars, said at the conference.

CalCars is a nonprofit group that has built about 20 plug-in vehicles since 2004 by outfitting the Toyota Prius hybrid with new lithium-ion batteries.

Improving battery technologies to boost energy density at lower weight and cost is a hurdle, but progress on lithium-ion battery packs could help develop a bigger market for plug-in cars, Kramer said.

Drivers also may have to downsize their vehicle choices. Some electric cars are likely to be small and aimed at urban dwellers who do most of their motoring in or near cities.

Jan-Olaf Willums, chairman of Norway's TH!NK Electric Car Co., is betting that he will find a market in Europe and the United States for his two-seater city car. The company previously had ties to Ford Motor Co.

The Norwegian company raised $25 million in February and aims to double the funding amount by May, Willums said. It expects to begin production in Norway in September, with marketing focused first in Europe and then the U.S.

PG&E's LaFlash said smart-grid technologies such as high-tech meters that measure electricity use via remote control and give customers timing and pricing options could help drivers charge their car batteries at home and also get a credit on their bills for putting excess electricity back on the grid.

Utilities and grid managers would limit the amount of energy uploaded from car batteries, LaFlash said. Metering and billing systems would be equipped to match a car to an account.