PG&E’s Energy Orb Alerts Businesses When Conservation Is Needed
Pacific Gas and Electric Company is arming its large business customers with a new tool
that forewarns when power supplies are strained. The Energy Orb, which glows, pulsates
and changes color to indicate when conservation is needed, was recently presented to 560
customers who use more than 200 kilowatts of electricity and participate in the “frontline” demand
response programs.
These customers—including manufacturing plants, food processors, colleges, office
buildings, wineries, school districts, hospitals, research facilities, museums among many
others—are the first to be called upon to reduce energy usage when the California
Independent System Operator (California ISO) implements its emergency stages as power reserves
begin to dip.
The Energy Orb is currently placed in a lobby or facilities manager’s office to
help alert them prior to and during an energy saving event. The Energy Orb is equipped
with an electronic chip that receives a wireless signal every 15 minutes. The signal activates
the orb to change colors to indicate a call to action. If there is no imminence of an event,
the orb will remain blue. There is no internet hook-up required, the device simply plugs
into an electrical outlet using only 3.5 watts of power.
Solid Blue: Standby—No event is currently underway
Solid Yellow: Warning—Day-ahead event warning has
been issued.
Pulsing Yellow: Warning—An event will occur later
in the day
Solid Red: Activation—Event has been activated and
is currently in progress
Pulsing Red: Activation—Event in progress and another
declared for the following day
Solid Green: Testing—Demand response notification
system is being tested
Customers who sign-up for either the Critical Peak Pricing or Demand Bidding Program will
be given an Energy Orb to display in their business. In addition, both programs offer a
financial incentive for reducing energy use when called upon. Collectively, PG&E’s
demand response programs can account for 600 megawatts (mW) in reduced power (one mW is
the equivalent of power used in 750 homes).
Demand Bidding Program (E-DBP) is a voluntary bidding program that is triggered when the
California ISO has issued an Alert for the following day. Participating customers are notified
by 3 p.m. the day before the event at which time they can voluntarily bid-in the amount
of load reduction they will commit for the next day. Participants can earn an incentive
for qualifying load reduction based on the forecasted hourly energy price.
Critical Peak Pricing (E-CPP) program offers commercial/industrial customers greater than
200 kW an alternative to traditional time-of-use rates. A CPP Event can only be activated
during PG&E’s summer season, between noon and 6:00 pm., Monday through Friday,
excluding holidays. Customers on a CPP schedule receive reduced energy rates for all non-CPP usage during on-peak and partial-peak time periods during PG&E’s summer rate
season, May 1-October 31. The maximum number of CPP Events per summer season is 12.
The Energy Orb was initially developed, by Ambient Devices, as a way to track movement
in the stock market. The Cambridge-based company has now expanded its uses to include tracking
weather forecasts, traffic congestion and most recently energy usage. PG&E’s
Energy Orb is programmed specifically to indicate when energy-reduction events are forecasted
or underway. Residential or business customers interested in purchasing PG&E’s
Energy Orb can order one though Ambient Devices’ web site (www.ambientdevices.com).
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