Thriving (despite COVID) in 2020 – Seven Elements of Voltus Success

Posted on by Ariele Ladabaum

Author: Matt Plante, President & Co-founder

On Monday, March 9th, 2020, during Veritas (our weekly all-hands call), we hired our 67th employee (Lauren Stenstream, Indomitable Controller), we named Luke “Snakeman” Talltree the Voltan of the Week (Luke installed our technology at seven new customer sites that week), and we celebrated International Women’s Day. Oh yes, and we announced that we were moving our first ever customer conference, scheduled to be held in Times Square on April 1st, to a virtual meeting. On March 9th, 2020, the world had changed. 

We’ve now been living in that changed world for over a full year. 8760+ hours. It’s a year – for obvious reasons, for many reasons, for countless virtual conference reasons – that we don’t ever want to repeat.

Yet today, we hired our 104th employee (Jesus Martinez, Production Technician), we were publicly lauded by one of the world’s largest companies for helping them manage February’s Texas energy crisis, and we closed a deal with an important partner. Oh yes, and we hired Jon Wellinghoff, the former FERC Chairman (since you’re reading an energy blog, I suppose that last clause was unnecessary). 

2020 threw haymaker after haymaker…and we came out stronger. The following seven reasons help explain why, and we hope they will help others lead through times of adversity as well. 

  1. We share. We share family photos from weekend adventures, thorny problems we’re struggling to solve, successes that help others succeed, and dog pictures. Lots and lots of dog pictures. Sharing leads to trust, and trust leads to winning as a team.  
  2. We support. Especially this year, we support. COVID has been long. People go through COVID troughs at different times. Especially this year, we pick up and support our teammates. 
  3. We make mistakes. Because our final work product is of such high quality, we sometimes feel like we can’t make mistakes. We actually have to coach people to make mistakes, so that we continue to take appropriate chances and stretch our capabilities.
  4. We innovate. We value nimbleness, creativity, and finding a better way. We understand that the antiquated electric grid, lack of customer choice, and less renewable energy than is possible are simply unacceptable.  
  5. We get after it. We are working on urgent problems that demand hard work. Work hard, succeed. 
  6. We celebrate. Celebrate the little victories, celebrate the big wins. You have to have fun at work, c’mon!  
  7. We love. We say aloud to every Voltan that we want Voltus to be the best professional experience of their lives. Making that happen is a two-way street. For our part, we think very deliberately about creating an atmosphere in which people can do their absolute best work. Part of leadership compensation is tied to a quarterly “Happiness and Productivity” three-question survey taken by every Voltan.

We did something else today: we booked an actual, physical, in-person location for VoltusFest, our semi-annual company-wide off-site. We’ll be in Austin, where we’ll share, support, make mistakes, innovate, get after it, celebrate, and, yes, love. We can’t wait. We cannot wait. 

We’re hiring. View all open positions at www.voltus.co/join-us

Week #6 – Working with multiple CSPs to maximize DR dollars

Posted on by Kelly Yazdani

Potential Customer: Can my company work with more than one curtailment service provider (CSP) to stack multiple demand response (DR) programs and maximize earnings?

Voltus: Yes. Well … maybe. 

Nearly 140 demand response programs exist across North America. Many of these programs are offered exclusively by Voltus while others aren’t offered by Voltus at all. What’s that now?

That’s right, in some cases a DR program is offered only by a utility or even a competing CSP. No matter, Voltus lays out all the options for monetizing your operational flexibility and supports your participation in every program with our technology and services. 

Conversely, we often talk to customers who are currently under contract with a different CSP and are interested in contracting with Voltus to cash in on additional programs. Is that allowed?

From Voltus’s perspective, of course. The caveat here is that you need to make sure you are not prevented from doing so under your current CSP’s contract. We always advise customers to make sure that any new program they sign up for at a facility doesn’t preclude them from participating in other programs with other providers. We’ve run into many unfortunate situations where a customer signed up with a CSP and gave them exclusivity over not only a single facility’s ability to participate in DR, but exclusivity over DR for all of their facilities … unbeknownst to them.

So, let’s look at a real world example. Voltus works with a large commercial real estate company with properties throughout the United States. This customer is very sophisticated and wanted to take full advantage of every stackable DR program in the PJM service territory, specifically Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, a customer can take advantage of seven separate demand response programs simultaneously. Unfortunately, the company’s CSP at the time had exclusive rights to all DR programs at each of the company’s facilities under a contract that had been signed three years prior for a five year term. The larger problem was that the CSP only offered two of the seven programs and wouldn’t cooperate in allowing the customer to participate in the other five programs. In fact, the CSP claimed that by tapping into other programs the company was putting their current DR earnings at risk (fake news).

In this particular case, the CSP had enrolled the customer in PJM’s ELRP program and signed them up for economic DR to capture energy payments. As it turns out, the more lucrative option for the customer was a combination of Pennsylvania Act 129 DR, Voltus’s Peak Saver program, and PJM’s synchronized reserves program. We showed the customer that they would more than double their demand response dollars by enrolling in these additional programs. We also helped the customer negotiate away from exclusivity with their original CSP. Amazingly, participation in these additional programs actually increased the company’s earnings in the two original programs – a win-win-win for all parties involved!

Of course, every region is different and every CSP is different so it’s important to dig into the details.

  1. Make sure you’re not limited by current terms and conditions in your DR agreements.
  2. Make sure you’re taking advantage of every stackable DR program.

In the end, the best strategy for you business may be to use two (or more) CSPs. We’re indifferent as long as you’re maximizing your demand response dollars.

Interested in doubling your company’s DR dollars? Email us at info@voltus.co or chat with us below.

Week #5 – Uncovering the Gross Up

Posted on by Kelly Yazdani

At Voltus, we talk to hundreds of energy decision makers every day from dozens of industries in every major energy market. Sometimes these organizations are learning about the benefits of demand response for the first time. At other times, we’re connecting with businesses long-steeped in demand response program participation. Our message, regardless of experience, is that it is possible for customers to double their demand response dollars, and one of the easiest ways to contribute to this goal is giving demand response customers their fair share of the “gross-up.”

What the heck is the gross-up!?! 

So glad you asked.

The gross-up is industry-speak for the transmission loss factor and operating reserve margin that is applied to electricity demand in wholesale power markets. These concepts impact the value of demand response resources in these same markets.

The bottom line: if you’re not being paid your portion of the gross-up you could be losing 5% to 40% of your demand response dollars depending on year and market.

Let’s look at an example to understand the concept clearly.

You have 1,000 kW of demand response capability at your facility. You contract with a demand response provider to get 65% of the revenue earned from enrolling your load curtailment in the ISO-NE market. At $7.03/kW-month you would expect the gross revenue from the 1,000 kW to be worth $84,360 for power year 2019, which at 65% nets your business $54,834. Pretty good, huh? Yet, your demand response capability is actually more valuable than 1,000 kWs and here’s why.

When power is generated by a natural gas power plant, 7% of that power is lost on average over transmission lines (a 100 MW generator only delivers about 93 MWs of usable electricity to the point of consumption). Additionally, that natural gas power plant isn’t 100% reliable throughout the year, which requires the grid operator to buy, on behalf of the market, what’s called “operating reserve.” Operating reserve averages about 15% of generation capacity (that 100 MW generator requires the grid operator to purchase 115 total MWs of generation). These transmission line losses and operating reserves add up, amounting to an additional 22% in this example. 

Demand response capacity behaves differently though since it’s created at the point of consumption. This capacity doesn’t experience transmission line losses and doesn’t require operating reserves. As a result, the grid operator in our example would “gross up” the value of your 1,000 kW demand response capacity by that same 22%. The demand response provider is actually credited with 1,220 kW (1,000 kW plus the 220 kW gross up). In many cases, demand response providers only pay the customer 65% of the “nameplate capacity” (the original 1,000 kW). The additional $18,559 of value that comes from the 220 kW gross-up goes entirely to the demand response provider. 

You can do the math to determine the true revenue share, but in this example it amounts to 53% to the customer, not the expected 65%.

Gross-up values can vary significantly by wholesale market, the particular power year, and the customer’s transmission level service. Regardless of the exact value, the gross up is money that shouldn’t be left on the table. If you’ve been doing demand response for a long time and you’re looking to maximize cash from your operational flexibility, ask your demand response provider for your share of the gross up.

At Voltus, we value transparency above all else. Interested in working with us or learning more about the many ways you can double your demand response dollars? Email us at info@voltus.co or chat with us below.

Week #4 – Flushing out Phantom Megawatts

Posted on by Kelly Yazdani

In the early days of demand response, as grid operators and utilities sought to unlock the potential of this resource, program requirements were understandably light. Advance notice was often day ahead, dispatch windows were Monday through Friday 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., hours of dispatch were limited to 20 hours per year, etc., and rarely was demand response dispatched for anything but an annual test. With such a low barrier of entry, customers signed up in droves. The net effect was quite remarkable as demand response became the fastest growing capacity resource in the US since 2000 with the exception of wind.

As demand response became a larger percentage of the resource stack, grid operators started dispatching these resources regularly, deliberately, and at increasing frequency to deliver very valuable capacity, energy, and ancillary services. A single annual test became a thing of the past. Customers are now being called on to curtail load or transfer demand to behind-the-meter assets many times during the year. Under-performing “phantom megawatts” that flew under the radar in the early days of demand response can no longer meet market requirements.

Demand response is needed more than ever to deliver on-peak capacity, to help tamp down energy prices during grid constraints, and to help balance the grid 24/7/365 in real-time through frequently dispatched operating reserves programs (e.g. PJM Sync Reserves). As a result of more stringent program requirements, the value of demand response is also on the rise. For the strongest-performing demand response resources, capable of adapting to increased demand response requirements, this means more cash for curtailment, often more than double what was available in the past.

Demand response has come of age. If your business is ready to truly offer up your operational flexibility to the grid (and make cash in the process), email us or chat with us by clicking below.

Week #3 – Incremental Auction Sell-Off (Don’t Get Caught Holding an Empty Bag of Cash)

Posted on by Kelly Yazdani

Using a bit of provocation, last month we declared that PJM Demand Response is Dead! The caveat here is that PJM Demand Response (as you’ve known it) is Dead, with changes to the Emergency Load Response Program (ELRP) that make it much more difficult for customers to perform and, ultimately, earn cash (e.g., a 30 minute response with 365/24/7 availability doesn’t work for most). 

Our webinar, outlining these changes, and highlighting our out-of-market PeakSaver Program, occurred a few weeks before the close of PJM’s 3rd incremental auction (IA). These incremental auctions give capacity providers, who made commitments to provide capacity three years ago, the opportunity to sell their positions back to the market. Given the changes to ELRP, we had a company-wide hypothesis: curtailment service providers (CSPs) will offer thousands of megawatts back to the market during the 3rd IA, ultimately mitigating their risk of portfolio underperformance under stringent new “capacity performance” program requirements.

There is an important phrase in that last sentence though – mitigating their risk. If a demand response provider unloads their position, what happens to the customer who is expecting to get paid for ELRP program participation in 2020? When the CSP liquidates their position in an IA, the CSP is paid, but the customer’s obligation to perform, and their earning potential, is gone. 

Last week, the results were posted and our theory held true: 4,500 MWs of generation capacity, a large portion of which represents demand response, was sold back to the market, dumping many CSPs’ commitments to deliver for the first full “capacity performance” year (starting 6/1/2020). This capacity offloading is a clear sign that the new capacity performance rules prove too risky and costly for many in-market demand response MWs. Commercial and industrial customers who were expecting to generate revenue for the upcoming power year may find that their position was sold out. The CSP will pocket 100% of the profit, leaving the customer with nothing.

What now? Given these results, CSPs are scrambling to figure out exactly how to maximize the profitability of their portfolio and will only retain the best performing customers into the new power year. Don’t get caught holding the bag. All customers should contact their CSP and get a written confirmation of their position for the upcoming summer. 

Most importantly, sign up for out-of-market demand response. Voltus’s PeakSaver program can be stacked with in-market programs and provide a clear path to cash this summer. Because the program is market independent, you can enroll at any time, doubling your demand response dollars for the coming year. PeakSaver provides a no cost, no risk approach to demand response that proves far more reliable than many in-market programs.

The only bag you should be holding is the one filled with money. Contact us at info@voltus.co or chat with us by clicking on the icon on the bottom right of your screen to get yours.

This post is part of multi-week series dedicated to “Getting the Most Cheese from Demand Response.” Check out Week 1 on Eliminating Capacity Charges and Week 2 on In-Market versus Out-of-Market Demand Response.

Week #2 – Getting the Most Cheese from Demand Response: Unlocking the Value of In-Market and Out-of-Market DR Programs

Posted on by greggdixon@voltus.co

Last week we kicked off our multi-week Vlog series dedicated to unmasking some of the little known tips and tricks of the demand response market.

We started by explaining how easy it is to eliminate capacity charges through Voltus’s Peak Saver program. Peak Saver is an out-of-market, peak shaving program that leverages Voltus’s real-time, cloud-based technology platform. Peak Saver has the potential to more than double your demand response dollars when combined with traditional in-market programs. Who doesn’t like more cash?

But wait … in-market? Out-of-market? What is the difference between these approaches to turning operational flexibility into cash? Read on to learn more.

#2 – In-Market vs. Out-of-market Demand Response

When most people think demand response (DR), they think FERC-regulated programs that only exist in the wholesale energy markets of the US and Canada. ISO-NE, NYISO, PJM, MISO, ERCOT, SPP, and CAISO, as well as IESO and AESO in Canada, have demand response programs that focus on procuring reliable generation capacity, as well energy and ancillary services. Each market has its own variations, but all “in-market” demand response programs are subject to strict market-specific rules and a decent dose of regulatory risk. These programs are constantly evolving, but offer significant cash payments to market participants who commit their negawatts to meet program criteria.

Voltus has created “out-of-market” Peak Saver programs, bringing cash savings opportunities to every region in the US and Canada. Peak Saver leverages VoltApp, our real-time energy technology platform, to predict peak hours, eliminate capacity charges, and lower electric bills by up to 30%. Because there are no strictly defined market rules, there is also no barrier to entry for these programs. Commercial, industrial, and institutional customers can stack in-market and out-of-market demand response programs increasing their net earnings.

To demonstrate the relative value of in-market and out-of-market DR, let’s break it down by looking at the the value of 1 MW of curtailment in AEP Ohio. In the chart below, “in-market” opportunities – Emergency Load Response Program (ELRP), Synchronized Reserves Program (SRP), and the Gross-up (more on that in coming weeks) – represented in green, account for only 28% of the potential value of that MW of curtailment. Voltus’s “out-of-market” PJM program, represented in blue, allows consumers to not only reduce their generation capacity charges (the other side of the coin of in-market demand response revenue) but also transmission capacity charges. In this example, the out-of-market demand response opportunities account for 72% of the value, more than doubling this company’s net demand response dollars.

There are some important trade-offs to consider when optimizing the cash earned from these approaches. First, an energy consumer can benefit from implementing both of these approaches, but typically for only one season. In-market programs limit a customer’s ability to enroll by their peak load contribution value. The value of your peak load contribution is reduced when you participate in out-of-market peak shaving programs, eroding your ability to benefit from the in-market program.

Operationally speaking, in-market demand response programs have a different operational profile than out-of-market programs, summarized in the table below comparing PJM’s ELRP program with Peak Saver. In-market programs historically require fewer hours of annual response. However, with substantially more challenging performance requirements that are fully implemented in 2020, PJM’s ELRP program requires a 24/7/365 response requirement with advance notice of 30 minutes and an unlimited number of potential response hours. Of course, it’s very difficult to predict just how much PJM’s ELRP program will be called under new program requirements. On the other hand, out-of-market demand response in PJM likely requires more actual response hours each year, but the predictability of program requirements is clearer. With about 30 hours of highly predictable curtailment coupled with very clear and easy operational requirements, capturing out-of-market demand response value is often a better approach than in-market demand response alone.

There are additional nuances to comparing the two approaches (out-of-market vs. in-market) and stacking multiple demand response value streams (up to seven distinct programs in Pennsylvania, for instance) requires even deeper consideration. We can help you navigate the host of options. Chat with us below or email us at info@voltus.co

#3 – Incremental Auction Sell-Off

How to avoid absorbing the in-market risk from your demand response service provider … more to come on Thursday, 3/12.

Week #1 – Getting the Most Cheese from Demand Response: Eliminating Capacity Charges

Posted on by greggdixon@voltus.co

A few weeks back we dropped somewhat of a bombshell by declaring that Demand Response in PJM, as You Know It, Is Dead. Of course, this was meant to be a bit provocative with the goal of drawing attention to a better way of capturing the value of demand response in the rapidly evolving and controversial PJM market. During our webinar we explained why demand response in PJM is, in fact, more valuable than ever for commercial and industrial loads that leverage Voltus’s out-of-market DR program – Peak Saver – in addition to traditional in-market programs. Our webinar stirred dozens of questions, many of which we didn’t have time to cover in full detail during the webinar.

This multi-week Vlog series is dedicated to answering those questions with a bit more detail, while extending many of the concepts covered in the webinar into other markets. The goal here, as always, is to help customers turn their operational flexibility into the most cash possible wherever they have operations.

#1 – Eliminating Capacity Charges

Did you know that about 30% of your annual electricity bill comes from the electricity you use during one to five peak hours of the year? Generation and transmission demand or capacity charges (dubbed – TransCap and GenCap) are not only on the rise, but are accounting for a larger portion of large energy consumers’ electric bills over time, which means there’s a growing opportunity to reduce expense.

If you could reduce or eliminate your load during those same peak hours, you can eliminate or reduce a significant portion of your annual electric bill. Put differently, would you be willing to reduce electricity demand for 0.5% of the hours of the year to potentially reduce your annual energy bill by 30%? If the answer is, “Yes!” then we can show you how.

Voltus’s Peak Saver technology platform (VoltApp) helps to eliminate capacity charges by predicting peak load hours, instructing customers to curtail during those hours, measuring your load reduction in real-time, and verifying the savings on your electricity bill to ensure that the savings are captured. We manage this program no differently than a typical demand response program that you may have part.

Peak shaving is often operationally better aligned with a customer’s ability to curtail load or use behind-the-meter assets like onsite generation. Combining traditional in-market demand response programs with our out-of-market Peak Saver program has been proven to more than double the dollars a customer gets from demand response.

Interested in learning more? Chat with us below or email us at info@voltus.co

#2 – In-Market vs. Out-of-Market Demand Response

We’ll delve deeper into these terms and provide clarity on what programs exist in different geographic regions . . . stay tuned for the details on Thursday, 3/5!