Mar 27 2008
GridPoint Inc., a leading clean tech company whose smart grid platform benefits electric utilities, consumers and the environment, and Duke Energy announced positive results from what is believed to be the first commercial test of utility-controlled "smart charging" for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
Duke Energy engineers tested GridPoint’s smart charging capability by plugging a PHEV into a garage wall outlet controlled by the GridPoint SmartGrid Platform in the late afternoon. Duke began charging the vehicle at 10 p.m. and completed charging prior to the morning peak, leaving the car fully charged for the driver’s morning commute. GridPoint’s platform successfully controlled, measured and verified the charging of an electric vehicle parked in a residential garage.
"Smart charging is an essential capability for Duke and all electric utilities as PHEVs enter the market," said David Mohler, Chief Technology Officer, Duke Energy. "Through this capability, we’re able to reduce stress on the grid during peak periods and keep rates low."
GridPoint’s smart charging capability enables utilities to control charging regardless of when consumers plug in their PHEVs, which is anticipated to be in the early evening when peak demand is high. Utilities can limit peak load growth as well as offer customers significantly reduced charging costs by billing lower rates for off-peak charging. Additionally, utilities gain complete control over when and how fast PHEVs are charged, allowing utilities to optimize generating assets.
"This is a major milestone in the evolution of the Smart Grid," said Peter L. Corsell, President and CEO, GridPoint. "We are pleased to have worked with Duke Energy to demonstrate PHEV smart charging, and we look forward to continuing to lay the groundwork for managing PHEVs."
GridPoint is the pioneer of an innovative smart grid platform that aligns the interests of electric utilities, consumers and the environment. The platform applies information technology to the electric grid to provide utilities with an intelligent network of distributed resources (e.g., advanced load control devices, batteries, solar systems) that reside at the point of consumption – the home or business. Additionally, the platform’s modular, scaleable and upgradeable architecture enables utilities to create a practical path for integrating new clean technologies (e.g., plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cells).
GridPoint’s recent recognition includes being selected as a 2008 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, the overall winner by AlwaysOn GoingGreen 100 Top Private Companies 2007, one of the Red Herring 100 Global, and winner of the 2007 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Green Excellence for its success in pioneering a way to harness load management and distributed generation to achieve environmental sustainability. GridPoint is featured in the new book Earth: The Sequel, a business-centric approach to alleviating climate change by Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund, as well as in the Smart Grid chapter of The Clean Tech Revolution by Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder.