Powerit Solutions' New Functionality Lets Energy-Intensive Businesses Benefit from Real-Time Pricing

November 11, 2009 2:26 PM EST

Cleantech Firm Now Plugs Into Another Segment of the Emerging Smart Grid

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Powerit Solutions' Spara(TM) energy management system is again advancing the nation's emerging smart grid, this time by addressing lingering communication and implementation issues that have prevented most energy-intensive businesses from responding to utilities that use real-time pricing (RTP).

Normally, utilities publish their rates a year in advance. Under real-time pricing, a user's rate can change by the minute--and with Spara RTP Control(TM), energy-intensive businesses can turn real-time pricing into savings. Spara RTP Control lets businesses react instantly and automatically to utilities' changing prices by carefully controlling usage at high-price times and capitalizing on low prices.

Powerit's Visionary Approach to Energy Management

"We believe this will be an escalating trend in utility billing, which is why we've added this new functionality to the Spara product suite," says Bob Zak, general manager and president of Powerit Solutions.

"Real-time pricing control is a natural extension of what we already do--creating multiple opportunities to save money and even profit from smart energy management. This new function builds off our product's many user benefits, which include easy site integration, highly visual reporting, wireless functionality, rapid ROI and an unmatched level of control for automated curtailment of energy use."

He adds, "We do much more than monitor usage or analyze data and send notifications. The Spara system not only provides actionable information, it directly takes action in a non-disruptive manner. This is possible because each client predetermines their tolerance thresholds for reductions as well as their energy goals. The Spara system then incorporates this data into its tightly defined decision-making process. Our technology is unique in this regard, and by integrating real-time pricing, we believe we're at the head of the pack."

How Powerit Addressed a Lack of Standards

Powerit's Spara system already receives, monitors, and takes coordinated action on real-time data, such as coincidental peaks and demand response events initiated by utilities. Enabling the system to nimbly handle real-time pricing curtailment required Powerit to address a number of complex issues, including the lack of communication standards among participating energy providers.

There is no commonly used delivery mechanism or protocol for utilities to communicate pricing information to their customers. Most often, this data is simply presented for viewing at a utility or an independent system operator website. Any change, even a simple one, to how the information is displayed or presented on the site can create an interruption in automated communication, which means that customers don't get the pricing information--and can't respond to it.

Now, with Spara RTP Control, the real-time pricing server can take information from each utility, in any format, and convert it to a standard output that is then integrated into the Spara automated control structure at the site. If communication is interrupted by the utility, it will be detected by the system and corrected before it results in a missed savings opportunity or a high price spike.

Standardization of grid communications is an ongoing project. In support of nationwide efforts by organizations such as the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to develop standards, Powerit is adopting and integrating emerging initiatives such as the OpenADR protocol. The industry is a long way from an accord, but when the standards are set, Powerit's Spara system will be compatible with them. And today, Powerit's use of OpenADR means that Spara RTP Control provides a solution right now for energy-intensive businesses.

Spara's Real-Time Pricing in Action

Say a fruit and vegetable processor's utility has instituted real-time pricing, with prices changing as often as hourly. Because there are no standards for communicating this information to customers and the food processor can't constantly check the utility's site for updates, there is no realistic way for the business to adjust energy use to avoid high rate periods and take advantage of low rates. Even if the food processor could make those adjustments, the added complexity of its changing seasonal production environment would require a dedicated person to adjust curtailment plans appropriately.

If it uses Spara RTP Control, however, the food processor will receive pricing updates automatically and the Spara system will act on them. Spara will shift as much energy use as possible to low-price periods, then as prices rise and reach certain thresholds, it will make adjustments to reduce energy usage.

The food processor can finely tune these preset rules for taking action according to the season, type of produce, and other variables, so Spara's adjustments never cause an unexpected change in production or quality. The end result: the processor doesn't get blindsided by energy price spikes, and it optimally balances energy usage and production needs.

About Powerit Solutions

Powerit Solutions is a Seattle-based cleantech company that plugs energy-intensive businesses into the smart grid. Powerit's Spara system enables users to automatically increase energy efficiency, cut peak-rate usage, participate in demand response programs, and now, respond to real-time pricing advantageously--without unexpected disruptions or harm to processes.

Clients include IKEA, Paul Masson Winery, Frito Lay, the San Jose Mercury News, the Stockholm airport and thousands of other businesses in energy-intensive sectors such as foundries, manufacturing, agriculture, printing/publishing and retail/commercial. In June, Powerit received a connectivity industry award for its work with Amy's Kitchen of Petaluma, California, and in August it was recognized by the CleanTech Group as one of the world's top 100 cleantech firms in a peer-reviewed list. For more information, visit www.poweritsolutions.com.

    Source: Powerit Solutions

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