ACADEMIA

Silver Spring Networks announced that Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OGE) has selected Silver Spring's end-to-end demand response solution to expand OGE's pioneering, smart grid-based peak-reduction programs to all customers in its service territory. OGE is the first utility to deploy a price-response program that exclusively runs on its smart grid network without the need for redundant networking technologies. OGE intends to leverage the energy efficiencies achieved through its demand response program and integration of wind power to achieve its goal of avoiding the building of fossil-fueled generation plants until at least 2020. With this roll-out, Silver Spring is the first smart grid platform provider to have its standards-based smart grid network leveraged for deploying demand response (DR) throughout a utility's entire service territory.

OGE's decision to expand its DR program to all customers in its territory is the culmination of four years of work with Silver Spring and analysis of the results from several pilot programs. Throughout the project, OGE has focused on price-based DR, in which higher prices for energy during peak demand and lower prices in off-peak times incent customers to shift usage to off peak. OGE's program is paving the way for a new approach to DR, one driven by customer choice rather than direct utility control. In last summer's pilot, 98% of participating customers saved money and they reduced their peak energy use 12% to 35% using various in-home technologies. OGE's goal is to make an estimated 70 MW of load available for peak reduction next summer. Scaling this DR deployment to all customers highlights the confidence OGE has in both the effectiveness of the Silver Spring demand response solution needed for residential peak reduction and the device interoperability enabled by the ZigBee Smart Energy Profile specification.

Silver Spring is delivering the overall DR solution to OGE, including UtilityIQ Demand Response Manager, the back-office DR software; CustomerIQ, the customer engagement solution; installation services, software, and tools to support customer recruitment and in-premise installation; in-home devices; and on-going program support. Unlike alternative DR solutions that require a broadband Internet connection and addition of a costly home gateway, the Silver Spring DR solution operates entirely across the utility's smart grid network. Silver Spring has partnered with Corix for device installation and Energate for programmable communicating thermostats.

"Silver Spring has been a collaborative and visionary partner throughout the planning, testing and full-scale roll out of our innovative DR programs," said Pete Delaney, CEO of OG&E. "Together, we have broken new ground in customer-focused DR."

"It has been an exciting four years, working closely with OGE as they bring their vision for smart grid-based DR to fruition," said Scott Lang, Chairman, President and CEO of Silver Spring. "OGE has changed how the industry thinks about DR, by putting customer choice front and center. We're proud that our demand response solution and high-performing network is at the heart of enabling this new approach."

The performance of the Silver Spring network has been instrumental in OGE's ability to deploy DR throughout its service territory. Consistent meter reachability and high-performance networking have delivered the successful interval reading essential to enabling time-of-use readings. Focusing on industry standards such as an end-to-end IPv6 networking platform and ZigBee Smart Energy Profile has enabled an ecosystem of partners.