Published 
Dec 1, 2022

Western Grain Marketing Helps Prevent Electric Grid Failures

Western Grain Marketing participates in demand response programs with Voltus to help prevent blackouts and offset increasing capacity prices

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Dec. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voltus, Inc. ("Voltus"), the leading distributed energy resource (DER) software platform, announced today that Western Grain Marketing, a grain cooperative based out of Rushville, Illinois, enrolled 3 megawatts of flexible load in Voltus’s Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) demand response program.

Earlier this year, MISO announced a nearly 50x increase in capacity prices in Illinois. In addition, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Winter and Summer Reliability Assessments for 2022/2023 concluded that the region did not have sufficient energy resources under extreme weather conditions, which would increase the likelihood of blackouts.

By enrolling in demand response with Voltus, Western Grain Marketing joins Voltus’s portfolio of commercial and industrial customers that are prepared to reduce electricity consumption in the event of a grid emergency.

“Here at Western Grain Marketing, we understand the negative impact electricity disruptions can have on our community, local partners, and customers,” says Scott Docherty, Western Grain Marketing’s General Manager. “That’s why we’re partnering with Voltus to do what we can to protect the grid in the face of potential outages.”

“Local communities and businesses rely heavily on agricultural companies like Western Grain Marketing to produce and deliver essential goods,” says Sam Scuilli, Voltus’s MISO General Manager. “Western Grain Marketing is choosing to help prevent electricity shut off disruptions to safeguard its operations and further protect the local economy.”

Voltus works with a variety of agricultural customers across the U.S. To enroll your business in these programs and start earning cash, email info@voltus.co, or register for Voltus’s webinar on December 8 to learn more.

About Western Grain Marketing
Western Grain Marketing Inc is a GROWMARK® member company, formed in 2008 by combining the grain divisions of Two Rivers FS, Inc. (now Prairieland FS, Inc.), West Central FS, Inc. and RIVERLAND FS, Inc.

Headquartered in Rushville, IL, Western Grain Marketing proudly serves patrons in 15 western Illinois counties with 19 locations including a rail loader facility in Adair, IL. The combination of all these facilities brings Western Grain Marketing's total storage capacity to over 35 million bushels. Western Grain Marketing employs grain specialists capable of serving the grain handling and marketing needs of our producers as well as commercial customers.

About Voltus, Inc.
Voltus is the leading software technology platform connecting nearly 2,600 MW of distributed energy resources to electricity markets, delivering less expensive, more reliable, and more sustainable electricity. Our commercial and industrial customers and DER partners generate cash by allowing Voltus to maximize the value of their flexible load, distributed generation, energy storage, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle resources in these markets. To learn more, visit www.voltus.co.

Media Contact
Mona Khaldi
press@voltus.co