Utility Seeks to Reduce Peak Demand Charges
(photo courtesy of Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC is partnering with California-based Varentec Inc. in an effort to improve the efficiency of its service territory. The co-op says the partnership will help lower its energy demand and increase reliability for members.
The partnership is focused around the Varentec Pilot Project, which utilizes voltage control automation to reduce peak demand charges.
“UDWI was instrumental in Varentec’s process to get a granular look at data that’s typically only seen at the substation level,” said UDWI Chief Operating Officer Shane Smith. “This was a great opportunity for our operations department to learn first-hand about this technology and we are proud of our contribution to this project.”
According to the co-op, demand is based on the highest points of consumption, and electric utilities need to have enough generation and transmission assets to deliver power during these peak times. To support the project, UDWI provided Varentec with data from meters in its service territory that allowed the company to see data in real-time.
“I am very proud of our operations team for taking a leadership role in this technology and for their successful efforts in reducing our demand charges,” said UDWI CEO Doug Childs. “Kudos to our entire operations department for their leadership on this project.”
The co-op says the goal of the project is to learn how manipulation of the voltage on the line can reduce the overall demand, resulting in lower costs for UDWI from its power supplier.