Co-op Webinar: How to analyze grid impacts of EVs and Solar in just 10 weeks. Register now
Data is king. Data empowers. When leveraged properly, data enables flexibility and accelerates change.
That’s one of the many takeaways from the engaging discussion between Camus Energy CEO Astrid Atkinson and Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC) CEO Luis Reyes in our December webinar on “The Rise of Local Grid Management”. The two discussed how Camus’ data aggregation and visibility platform has transformed the way that KCEC is able to manage its grid resources and optimize them for today, tomorrow, and the future.
With the rapid adoption of renewable energy and forecasted growth of electric vehicle charging and building electrification, our electric grid is becoming increasingly complicated. Electric utilities are being challenged to manage distributed resources while also maintaining reliability and low costs for their customers.
KCEC is leading the pack with renewables integration: by the end of this year, it will have surpassed 100% daytime solar generation. Solar provides Kit Carson members with affordable renewable energy, but it also adds complications to KCEC’s grid management. That’s where Camus Energy comes in.
Camus empowers utilities and energy providers to manage the process of change on the grid. Through Camus’ open source software platform, KCEC grid managers now have visibility to aggregated real-time data that they can use to monitor, forecast, and orchestrate both utility-scale and behind-the-meter resources.
For an electric co-op that puts its members first, this visibility transforms the way it operates and delivers services to its community. During the webinar, Luis remarked that the flexibility afforded by the Camus platform empowers his organization to align with member priorities in a way that it historically hasn’t had the capacity to do.
“Camus’ platform gives us the ability to change when our members want change,” said Luis.
Of course, not every utility has the same priorities as KCEC. But, once again, data is king. For providers who want to focus on different programs to serve their customers, Camus can leverage the same core data model to provide visibility where it matters and help them achieve their community goals.
“This is not an abstract problem. This is an issue for today,” stated Astrid during the webinar.
Armed with the power of data, both Astrid and Luis are excited for future grid changes. Luis commented, “My biggest hope is that [others] really embrace this concept of carbon-free, renewable energy, member empowerment, and engagement… Remember when it was called ‘alternative energy’? Alternative to what? It should be the driver today.” He adds, “If we can do it, [other] co-ops can easily do it.”
Watch the webinar recording to hear the full story.
