Consert’s Virtual Peak Plant™ (VPP) is everything utilities need to improve forecasting and capacity management, implement demand management events, receive outage management information, and improve customer service. The Consert VPP:

• Allows utilities to measure and verify “negawatts” (negative load) at a device level
• Provides new revenue streams by selling negawatts in the bulk power market
• Enables the utility and wholesale aggregator to supply consumers’ energy service needs, while minimizing the cost and risk associated with investment in peak generation capacity and transmission facilities
• Contributes to reduced carbon emissions by limiting the need for peak generation and facilitating the orderly integration of intermittent renewable resources into grid operations
• Provides the ability for residential consumers to set operational thresholds around their comfort settings for any devices under management. Consert provides user-friendly screens for consumers to set thresholds and walk away, optimizing their energy use based on their daily schedules
• Utilizes real-time telemetry of VPP resource status
• Allows for integration into energy market systems

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Utilizing this solution means we are giving our customers the capability to tell us how they want their energy managed. Ultimately that results in lower costs and lower bills for customers. For CPS Energy it provides the ability to employ the VPP concept which saves us wasteful generation and fuel costs by having to bring on inefficient, older, simple cycle gas-fired power plants. We can instead reduce a customer’s demand ourselves. Now, on a real hot day in San Antonio, we can simply employ the choices our customers have allowed us to make and reduce their demand, which decreases our community’s peak load.

Doyle Beneby, President and CEO, CPS Energy

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Technical Specifications

Gateway

• ARM9 main processor
• 32MB SDRAM
• 16MB NAND FLASH
• Full and half-size PCI Express mini-card modems – EVDO/HSPA/LTE modems (Network certified module)
• SIM card connector to support HSPA and LTE modems
• Zigbee (2.4GHz) High Powered support (20 dBm transmit power) (UART/SPI interface)
• Two-way, high-speed communications with Smart Energy Profile (SEP) 1.1 (upgradable to 2.0) Home Area Network (HAN) devices
• Collects data directly from AMI meters, Consert Tru Load Device Controllers and a variety of SEP 1.1 compliant Programmable Computing Thermostats (PCT)
• Two-way, high-speed, real-time communications with Consert Data Center
• Data communications with Consert Tru Load Device Controllers via wireless ZigBee®
• Embedded Linux environment with self-contained memory and battery-backup capabilities
• Complete security with encrypted two-way communications that meets or exceeds today’s stringent requirements
• ANSI-compliant with GE I210+c and KV2c Series meters
• Firmware upgradeable over the air
• Integrated multi-output power supply (11.2vdc, 3.3vdc, 1.05vdc)
• Industrial temperature rated parts (-40C to +85C)
• U/L or ETL compliant
• FCC compliant
• ANSI compliant
• Over-the-air upgrades of all microcontrollers

Device Controller

• True load management:
  • Real-time data collection
  • Real-time data reporting
  • Empirical power measurement compliant with ANSI C12.1 accuracy requirements
  • Absolute device management by utility and its customers
  • TI chip for metrology
• Rated to 50 AMPS without a relay (CDCZ24S 3.1)
• Rated to 30 AMPS/1.5 HP (CDCZ24RS-NC-3.1) with a relay
• Firmware over-the-air upgradeable
• Wireless ZigBee® 1.1 SEP upgradable to 2.0
• Controls HVACs, heat pumps, water heaters, pool pumps, and other high consumption electrical equipment
• Status and error LEDs

Thermostat

• Programmable, Zigbee-enabled

Utility Portal

• Secure, multi-browser compliant

Consumer Portal

• Secure, multi-browser compliant
• Compatible with popular web-enabled devices

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Standards: ZigBee, FCC Compliant, ANSI Compliant, 3G Wireless Networks, U/L or ETL Compliant