Missouri Utility Leaning on Sunverge for DER Pilot Program

Evergy, an investor-owned utility serving customers in Kansas and Missouri, will be using Sunverge’s distributed energy resource (DER) control, orchestration and aggregation platform in its Missouri service territory.

A new pilot project centered around 50 residential customers is expected to be operational in the first half of 2023. It will includes intelligent, real-time dynamic control of energy storage combined with holistic load management. The energy storage assets will be aggregated as a multi-service and multi-asset virtual power plant system, creating value on both sides of the meter, according to Evergy.

Evergy will explore benefits to its customers including backup power, bill reduction, and self-generation. Value to the grid includes peak demand reduction and load leveling, whole home backup, distribution feeder demand management, frequency regulation and response, voltage support, and renewable energy smoothing.

“Evergy is committed to exploring new and innovative ways to manage energy effectively and efficiently,” says Chad Carsten, senior manager of operations technology. “The integration of intelligent real-time control and comprehensive load management will not only bring value to both the customers and Evergy, but it will also demonstrate the company’s dedication to advancing a responsible energy transition.”

“Utilities across the country are exploring ways to operationalize DERs into core distribution operations and unlock the value of distributed resources,” adds Martin Milani, CEO of Sunverge. “The combination of real-time dynamic load flexibility and aggregated grid services is a powerful tool for utilities like Evergy that are planning for the grid of the future and integrating the growth of DERs.”