US utility co-op NRTC has partnered with Autogrid to optimize management of its distributed energy resources (DER) and demand response programmes.

National Rural Utilities Cooperative (NRTC) will leverage Autogrid’s artificial intelligence-based FlexTM DER management platform to deliver Bring Your Own Things initiatives across 50 million rural consumers.

The platform will support 800 utilities in 48 states to:

Remotely enroll, monitor and optimise DERs such as connected thermostats, water heaters, battery energy storage, solar PV and electric vehicles.

Help consumers to reduce their energy costs and increase share or renewables by participating in utilities’ demand response and load shifting, co-incidental peak management, renewables integration and other forms of AI-based analytics and optimisation initiatives.

NRTC utilities have partnered with companies including Google/ Google Nest, Honeywell, ecobee, Schneider Electric, Emerson, ChargePoint and sonnen to implement their DR projects.

Greg Bartolomei, president of smart grid solutions at NRTC, said: “NRTC’s members require technology that is reliable, cost effective, open, and scalable to meet their current and future needs.

“We look forward to continuing our leadership in helping members provide affordable, reliable and sustainable energy by leveraging the Artificial Intelligence capabilities in the AutoGrid Flex platform to manage an increasingly distributed and renewable powered grid.”

Amit Narayan, Founder & CEO, AutoGrid. “The transformation to a more decentralized, flexible grid must take into account every part of the country, and this agreement with NRTC represents a huge swath of this needed transformation. AutoGrid’s AI-powered real-time optimization and controls platform will empower NRTC member utilities with the choice and flexibility to connect and manage a wide range of grid-edge devices while participating in grid services programs to save money, to the benefit of millions of utility customers within their collective service areas.”