Generac Grid Services, a subsidiary of Generac Power Systems, a designer and manufacturer of energy technology solutions and other power products, says its Concerto platform is now enabling utility Iberdrola to provide demand response for the Spanish grid.
Using the Concerto platform, Iberdrola has built a virtual power plant (VPP) that has successfully transitioned its provision of demand response services, which began late last year, into an automated dispatch service.
Iberdrola selected Generac Grid Services to be its VPP software provider via tender in late 2021. Since then the companies have been working together to aggregate solar generation and load from commercial and industrial facilities and smart homes across Spain to support stabilizing grid frequency for Spanish transmission system operator Red Eléctrica de España.
“The Concerto platform’s open ecosystem enables us to connect to and dispatch assets that leverage distinct communication interfaces,” says Rafael Bellido, head of flexibility solutions at Iberdrola. “This helps Iberdrola generate value from a greater number of participating systems, therefore benefiting our customers while helping to keep the Spanish grid more reliable.”
Jan Peter Moree, vice president of business development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Generac Grid Services, adds: “Together, Generac Grid Services and Iberdrola are demonstrating the value of forecasting and optimizing renewable generation solutions.”
Iberdrola and Generac Grid Services are actively exploring ways to expand their collaboration. Together, the companies are looking to grow the number and type of distributed energy resources capable of providing flexible capacity and are specifically looking to incorporate electric vehicles (EVs) and industrial loads into their portfolio. In addition, the companies are actively planning to bid this growing flexibility into markets beyond demand response, with manual frequency restoration reserves expected to go live later this year.
