Texas-based Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) has developed Apolloware, a cloud-based software solution to help its commercial and residential members monitor solar and energy storage installations in real time.
According to the co-op, its software allows the solar array owner to receive enhanced financial benefit from energy generated during daily peak energy consumption, which in turn, helps accelerate the return on the investment. In addition, the software solution allows the utility to reduce system design and operation costs.
“Apolloware benefits all parties because it provides financial benefits that are correlated directly to the wholesale energy market,” says William Hetherington, CEO and general manager of BEC. “Since it is a cloud-based solution, it is independent from the utility, allowing autonomy and transparency of the data.”
Hetherington says that this transparency of data allows for sophisticated analytics to optimize distribution systems design and operation, and utilities will be able to aggregate solar installations throughout their system and use that information to sell back into the wholesale market.
BEC commercial and residential members will be able to see their system impacts and receive financial benefits by earning capacity reduction credits for production during electrical usage peak times. Those members will have a better understanding of when to sell into the market when the price is high, and when to store energy when the price is low, according to BEC.
An Apolloware pilot program is under way through the end of 2017. BEC says the data obtained will help close the gap between predicted and actual models, enabling a quantifiable determination of the benefit of solar production.
“This software will be applicable to anyone who generates or stores energy because it allows them to reconcile and capture the full value of their investment,” says Hetherington.
