Met-Ed expects 30 MW in peak load reduction with BPL Global smart grid technology

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Smart grid company BPL Global will supply Pennsylvania's Metropolitan Edison Company with its EasyGreen® Direct Load Control technology to provide more than 30 MW of peak load reduction. Met-Ed expects somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 of its customers to volunteer in the project, which is part of the FirstEnergy utility's overall energy efficiency program. In return, customers will get an incentive payment for each year they participate and savings on their electric bill. The BPL load control technology includes the Power SG® Foundation smart grid software platform and the Power SG® iDER distributed energy resource management application. Together, the components will enable Met-Ed to more efficiently manage customer central air conditioning systems during peak demand periods, cross-collaboration between current smart grid applications and those that may be added in the future and support for the integration of distributed energy sources. The project has been approved by DOE as part of a Smart Grid Investment Grant FirstEnergy won in October 2009.

Quick Take: Nice to see ambitious commercial and residential energy efficiency technology and project rollouts that both involve and reward customers for their participation.