Xcel Energy has successfully implemented the Ventyx Smart Grid Operations Solution in Boulder, Colorado, the nation's first fully integrated SmartGridCity. The Ventyx solution is an integral component of the utility's SmartGridCity initiative and will provide the capability to turn data from the Smart Grid into the actionable intelligence required to deploy and effectively manage the Boulder Smart Grid.
"The Ventyx Smart Grid Operations solution plays a fundamental role in turning the vision of SmartGridCity into reality by helping us aggregate diverse data from the Smart Grid and make it actionable in our commercial operations," said Randy Huston, Xcel Energy's project delivery executive for SmartGridCity. "The solution transforms the data from an individual meter level to an aggregated level called Virtual Power Plants to support commercial operations of the grid, and takes the day-ahead/balance-of-day plans from operations and creates price signals that can be put onto the customer data portal for customer choice or price options. This capability connects the results of the demand response programs and distributed energy resources to our trading portfolio operations and investment decisions. As a result, the software will help us give SmartGridCity customers greater control over their energy consumption, while realizing the benefits of implementing a Smart Grid."
Ventyx Smart Grid Operations is a software suite that supports the commercial and retail utility operations required to deliver effective demand response (DR) programs, distributed energy (DG) management, renewable generation and resource optimization for successful Smart Grid deployments. It achieves this by enabling utilities to aggregate customer-level DR and distributed generation into commercially actionable Virtual Power Plants. The solution also improves DR program management, effectively managing customer enrollment, device tracking and DR forecasting. Furthermore, Smart Grid Operations enables utilities to efficiently calculate and communicate price and environmental signals to customers, portals and load control programs. And, it provides advanced reporting capabilities for documenting program- and customer-level economic and environmental benefits, a key to meeting corporate, regulatory and DOE measurement and reporting requirements.
Ventyx is a founding member of the Xcel Energy SmartGridCity Consortium, established in December 2007 to provide guidance, products and services needed to bring Xcel Energy's Smart Grid vision to life. Over the last year SmartGridCity has installed 15,800 smart meters, laid 200 miles of fiber, enabled 45,200 premises with broadband over powerline (BPL), deployed/integrated more than 20 disparate applications, built 95 new interfaces and performed more than 300 test cases for go-live preparation. The rollout of the Ventyx Smart Grid Operations solution is part of Xcel Energy's completion of the first phase of the project, which has already realized some early benefits.
