EPRI’s Incubatenergy® Labs Challenge Selects Finalists

EPRI MEDIA RELEASE – DONALD CUTLER

Palo Alto, Calif.. (May 21, 2020) – From a field of more than 130 applicants, the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) Incubatenergy® Labs Challenge selected ten startups to demonstrate innovative power delivery and use technologies under the leadership of EPRI, Ameren Corporation, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and Southern California Edison (SCE). Nine additional utilities will participate in the projects to provide industry perspective and guidance.

“Each innovation has the potential to provide significant value to energy customers and the grid,” said Erik Steeb, who leads the Incubatenergy® Network and Labs program for EPRI. “By collaborating across the group of utilities, we can quickly demonstrate and understand how these solutions may enable effective energy management, enhance system quality, reliability and efficiency, as well as support decarbonization.”

EPRI will host four projects:

• Kognitiv Spark (Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada) — Augmented reality-enabled tool to help digitally connect utility workers and subject experts solve problems and learn new skills on the job.
• Switched Source (Vestal, N.Y.) — Power electronics based distribution-automation solutions to help manage distribution system load and improve power quality.
• RWI Synthetics (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) — AI-driven intelligent systems modeling tool to help grid planners with scenario planning and distributed energy resource integration.
• Sharc Energy Systems (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada) — Multifamily building wastewater heat recovery systems.

Ameren will host four projects through the Ameren Accelerator:

• ev.energy (Palo Alto, Calif.) — Wireless platform that optimizes electric vehicle charging to save customers money, fully utilize renewable energy, and deliver an alternative to expensive grid upgrades.
• IND Technology, Inc. (New York, N.Y.) — Technology that remotely detects and locates electrical faults before they occur, which could prevent power losses, wildfires, and other consequences.
• PingThings (El Segundo, Calif.) — Artificial intelligence platform that processes, stores, and uses high-definition sensor data from across the electric power system in real-time, at grid scale.
• Recurve (Mill Valley, Calif.) — Software as a Service tool that analyzes how to use energy more efficiently and effectively in response to cost, carbon reduction, and other customer data.

TVA will host one project:

• LineVision (Somerville, Mass.) — Non-contact, overhead line sensor technology that provides situational awareness, asset health monitoring, and increases capacity.

SCE will host one project:

• Grid Fruit (Pittsburgh, Pa.) — Grid-responsive scheduling of machine cycles to provide demand management and flexibility from commercial foodservice refrigeration systems.

American Electric Power (AEP), Con Edison, Edison International, Enel, Nebraska Public Power District, New York Power Authority, Portland General Electric (PGE), Salt River Project (SRP), and Xcel Energy are the other participating utilities.

The demonstration projects start June 1, 2020. The startups and project facilitators plan to present findings October 14, 2020, during the Incubatenergy® Labs Challenge Demonstration Day, hosted by Ameren Corporation in St. Louis, Mo.

About EPRI:

The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization, that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public, on a non-discriminatory basis. An independent organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety and the environment. EPRI’s members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to nearly 40 countries. EPRI’s principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.

Contact info:

Donald Cutler, EPRI

dcutler@epri.com

650.847.8077