A new virtual power plant (VPP) is being set up in PG&E territory in North and Central California. The PG&E Battery Storage Pilot Program of 100 homes will use LG energy storage systems and Sunverge’s DER software platform. The project also incorporates energy management circuit breakers from Eaton Corp., enabling the Sunverge platform’s holistic load control capabilities, in addition to energy storage and solar photovoltaic control orchestration and aggregation.
The project should be operational by Q1 2022.
“The project will evaluate a number of program design elements, including time of use and real-time pricing signals, load shaping and shifting, event-based demand response as well as contingency reserve, frequency regulation and voltage support ancillary services. This is an important project that we are excited to be a part of,” said Martin Milani, CEO of Sunverge Energy.
Stephen Hahm, energy vice president at LG Electronics USA, said, “Utilities are increasingly seeing the value that distributed clean energy resources, combined with energy storage and intelligent control and orchestration, can add real value to consumer, communities, grid and the utilities themselves.” In addition to the LG energy storage systems and ThinQ Energy app, some homes in the PG&E pilot project are expected to incorporate LG’s solar modules, he explained.
Sitting on top of the LG hardware and the Sunverge DER platform and optimization algorithms, the LG ThinQ Energy app “provides a platform for homeowners to engage with their home’s energy profile in new and creative ways,” Hahm added. For instance, the LG ThinQ Energy mobile app unlocks value by enabling customers to view and control their home’s solar generation, battery storage and load control.
News item from LG
“Sitting on top of the LG hardware and the Sunverge DER platform and optimization algorithms, the LG ThinQ Energy app “provides a platform for homeowners to engage with their home’s energy profile in new and creative ways,” Hahm added. For instance, the LG ThinQ Energy mobile app unlocks value by enabling customers to view and control their home’s solar generation, battery storage and load control.”
This sounds like where Sonnen and their ecolinx was about six years ago. Expensive, yes, very flexible and seemingly programmable to use things like weather forecasts to control how much solar PV is saved in the battery pack and how much is used for loads in the home. Programming around TOU electricity rate periods and even being able to connect to and control smart home appliances from refrigerators to auto blinds for indoor temperature control.