Blue Pillar Expands its Award-Winning Aurora® Energy Network of ThingsTM Platform to Address Needs of Utilities and Energy Providers
Orlando, FL DistribuTECH 2016 [Booth #2141] (PRWEB) February 09, 2016 -- Blue Pillar, provider of the world’s first self-configurable Energy Network of Things platform that connects and controls distributed energy assets, announced the next generation of its award-winning Aurora platform with expanded features specifically designed to address the needs of energy service providers and utility grid operators. This next generation release brings utility grade enhancements that build upon the Aurora platform’s existing ability to dramatically simplify behind-the-meter connectivity and control of distributed energy resources and generation assets.
In conjunction with the announcement of this new Aurora platform, Blue Pillar has also made available a comprehensive Facility of the Future™ Framework, a blueprint for addressing the energy needs of Commercial and Industrial (C+I) customers. This framework showcases how assets, services, and applications can utilize open Energy Network of Things connectivity and control in order to create new opportunities for providing energy efficiency, resiliency, and self-sufficiency solutions to the largest of facilities. This ability to apply simplified behind-the-meter connectivity and control, combined with a market-facing customer engagement approach, is valuable for energy solution providers who are turning to Blue Pillar’s Aurora Energy Network of Things platform in order to help differentiate their services and engage their largest (C+I) customers.
“Blue Pillar started with the vision to disrupt the way C+I energy assets are connected and controlled, in order to help the world’s most complex facilities become more energy efficient, resilient, and self-sufficient. It’s a vision that has propelled us to deploy hundreds of the world’s most complex facilities and connect thousands of energy assets,” said Tom Willie, CEO of Blue Pillar. “When we began working with these C+I customers, two things became clear to us. First, grid-focused utilities looking to manage Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) needed information and insight into these behind-the-meter energy assets, almost like an extension to their SCADA network. Second, there was a significant opportunity for our energy solution provider customers like NRG to create facilities of the future. Because of our unique ability to offer ubiquitous behind-the-meter connectivity and control, we can meet the aspirations of C+I customers, energy service providers, and grid-focused utilities like no other company in this industry.”
"According to GTM Research’s DER Management Systems 2014 Report, the proliferation of distributed generation is having an undeniably profound effect on the utility industry, not only threatening to disrupt existing business models, but also jeopardizing grid stability,” said Omar Saadeh, Senior Grid Analyst at GTM Research. “With behind-the-meter connectivity, distribution utilities can gain a heightened level of control and flexibility to more effectively manage the technical and economic challenges posed by an increasingly distributed grid, while offering C+I customers more differentiated services."
In addition to helping energy service providers, Blue Pillar’s Aurora platform can solve some of the biggest challenges facing regulated utilities as well. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, distributed generation assets among the C+I sector grew 400% from 2010-2015 (solar, wind, microturbines, fuel cells and conventional natural gas-fired CHP). This exponential proliferation in distributed generation is increasing utilities’ need for real-time insight and control that starts behind-the-meter. Utilities need standards-based open networks for connectivity, data aggregation and control. Similar to how the rollout of millions of smart meters created the need for Advanced Meter Infrastructures (AMI), the proliferation of microgrids and DERs create a need for Distributed Generation Infrastructure (DGI). Aurora creates a secured DGI network between the utility and their C+I customers’ distributed energy resources, which can ultimately become an extension of the utility’s grid. With this new level of visibility and control starting behind-the-meter, utilities can leverage Aurora to optimize DERs in a way that will increase grid efficiency, ensure higher levels of reliability and protect safety.
Simplifying Chaos Behind-the-Meter – The Aurora Platform Difference
Historic approaches to connecting disparate behind-the-meter distributed generation assets required customized SCADA development. This became inordinately expensive, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and left behind many stranded assets. Additionally, the challenge of trying to connect dispersed facilities and distributed generation fleets meant aggregating and collecting data in real-time, when most systems could not scale time zones or make data accessible to third-party applications. With Aurora, Blue Pillar has been able to create DGI networks to connect energy assets that scale to the needs of both energy providers and grid operators. Because the platform is self-configurable, it can be deployed in a manner that works with existing legacy equipment with no onsite programming. By centrally connecting and gathering distributed generation data, a grid operator or energy service provider gains accurate insights and control of any asset that generates, consumes, switches or measures electricity.
New Utility Grade Aurora Platform Enhancements
This next generation Aurora platform includes expanded functionality, specifically designed for energy service providers and grid operators, including:
• Availability of new interface and control protocols including DNP 3.0, OpenADR 2.0a VEN, and ICCP to be combined with existing support for OPC UA, Modbus, SNMP, LONWorks, and BACnet.
• Data aggregation into a public or private cloud-based service, which allows for a robust backend data management platform with distributed data storage and support for multiple time zones. This provides the scalability needed to support multi-site deployments in geographically dispersed regions.
• An extensive pre-integrated library of energy efficiency, resiliency, and self-sufficiency software applications, which can be utilized by energy service providers as turn-key offerings to C+I facility customers.
• Unified architecture and open-API support, which allows for plug-and-play integration to third-party facility focused energy applications or DERMS applications solutions, such as grid balancing, load shedding, voltage optimization or demand-side management.
• An auto-configuring Blue Pillar Aurora gateway for equipment connectivity, managed via an automated survey tool, which avoids the programming and customization typical of costly energy equipment integrations.
• Platform cyber security support from sensor to cloud, providing the most advanced security supported with third party authentication of industry best practices.
Demonstrations at DistribuTECH Booth 2141
Blue Pillar will demonstrate its Aurora Energy Network of Things platform in Booth 2141 at DistribuTECH. For more information, contact info(at)bluepillar(dot)com.
About Blue Pillar
Blue Pillar is the leading Energy Network of Things provider for distributed energy networks. Our award winning Aurora platform, and patented deployment methodology is the first solution to connect behind-the-meter distributed energy resources by self-prescribing secure IoT networks that enable real-time control of assets and collection of energy data. Using Aurora, hundreds of the world’s most complex facilities operators have increased their energy resiliency, efficiency or self-sufficiency efforts including Duke University Medical Center, Tenet Healthcare and Houston Methodist. Energy service providers have been able to offer new services to their Commercial and Industrial (C+I) customers by centrally monitoring, managing, and dispatching behind-the-meter assets with Aurora. Blue Pillar was recognized as one of the 15 fastest growing energy tech companies in North America by the Deloitte Fast 500™. Learn how Blue Pillar can help you take control of your energy future faster and more affordably by visiting http://www.bluepillar.com or on Twitter at @bluepillarinc.
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Kimberly Getgen, Blue Pillar, Inc., +1 415-867-8842, [email protected]
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