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ERS is a DNV company

Tools &

Solutions

Our tools and solutions provide data-driven insights that you can depend on to make technically sound decisions.

ERS's suite of tools support organizations across the energy industry to make more knowledgeable decisions and better visualize operational strategies, from the individual facility-level to grid-scale. We turn data into action to help our clients better capture energy efficiency opportunities and support the adoption and deployment distributed energy resource (DER) technologies.

Modular System Design

Our platforms modules are scalable and can be offered as a turnkey solution or in conjunction with our consulting services.

Powerful Visualizations

Web-based dashboards allow our clients to visualize complex datasets and make well-informed decisions.

Robust Analytics

Gain unparalleled insights through our advanced analytics while leveraging our staff’s DER technology expertise.

DERIVE

The DERIVE® Platform is a modular and scalable web-based DER load modeling and analytic platform. DER adoption is growing exponentially and DERIVE supports our clients throughout the grid planning, program delivery, and site assessment processes to better understand the implications of DER adoption and deployment. Technology installations such as solar photovoltaic (PV), combined heat and power (CHP), energy storage, electric vehicle (EV) charging, and demand response can be modeled alone or in combination with other DERs. DERIVE parametrically models multiple DER system configurations and rate structures to identify the most advantageous configurations. It can also be used to screen an entire portfolio to identify facilities with the best economics for DER projects.

DERIVE helps solve complex challenges with innovation that relies on ERS's expertise in DER technologies and building system operations combined with our extensive fieldwork experience.

Derive

derive solar module

Solar

The DERIVE Solar tool executes an aggregate analysis of potential solar installations including SIR calculations and Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate the impact of risk and uncertainty in prediction and forecasting models. The platform can be customized for local tariff and rate structures and is technology and vendor agnostic. DERIVE is also used for solar + storage analysis and operations.

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DERIVE electric vehicle

Electric Vehicles

The DERIVE Electric Vehicle (EV) module uses our in-house data that has been processed to develop facility- and grid-based EV load shapes. The module helps corporate, utility, and government clients forecast impacts from EV charging infrastructure installations and the influence of managed vs. unmanaged charging programs. The module also models real-time carbon emissions optimization scenarios for EV charging.

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DERIVE energy storage

Energy Storage

The DERIVE Energy Storage module can validate near-real-time operational data from energy storage projects, pairing it with contextual information like real-time grid mix, local temperature data, and current local marginal price of electricity to calculate monetary and non-monetary benefits that the projects create.

Derive

DERIVE CHP

CHP

The DERIVE CHP module supports clients through each step of deployment to assess the impacts of combined heat and power systems programs and offers investors and building owners facility-level installation assessments. The platform can generate automated emails to report daily portfolio performance to data rich dashboards that provide users with access to real-time data to track key performance indicators of individual projects and the portfolio.

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DERIVE electric vehicle

Electrification

The DERIVE Electrification module provides users with value stacking of electrification technology and resources to minimize peak demand hours and create a cost-optimized solution portfolio. ERS leverages our knowledge of electric technologies and programs to evaluate decarbonization plans, prioritize investments, and identify low carbon opportunities. DERIVE offers users the ability to view real-time load impacts from heat pumps and EV charging equipment.

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DERIVE energy efficiency

Energy Efficiency

The DERIVE Energy Efficiency module integrates base load changes from energy efficiency measures helping users identify the most advantageous configurations for integrating DERs or screening entire portfolios to identify facilities with the best economics for projects. DERIVE provides leads lists to help energy providers identify customers with a high propensity to participate in energy efficiency and demand response programs.

DERIVE supports customers in multiple sectors to accomplish their goals, including:

  • Utilities and energy companies as they transition to a lower carbon, resilient, cleaner, and more efficient grid.
  • Government agencies and municipalities develop and analyze plans to address climate change, policies to reduce carbon emissions, and programs to support clean energy adoption.
  • Investors, facility managers, and real estate developers use the platform to guide their corporate sustainability efforts and decarbonization strategies to reduce energy consumption and achieve more savings from demand response programs.

Calculators and Tools

ERS develops calculators and tools with unparalleled quality using our statistical analysis capabilities that enable clear interpretation of billions of data points to support clients monitor system performance, identify best-fit scenarios, communicate successes and challenges, and assess project revenue across several value streams. Samples of the tools and calculators our data science and engineering team developed are included here.

VALUE OF DER CALCULATOR

Standalone Storage

ERS designed and developed a public-facing tool that models the economics of standalone, grid-charging storage systems that export energy under the Value Stack. NYSERDA published the Standalone Storage VDER Calculator in March 2020, combining ERS’s expertise in data analytics and energy storage domain knowledge. Access the interactive tool here.

NON-WIRES ALTERNATIVES

CircuitLens

ERS built a tool to automate AMI data handling and network-level load disaggregation displayed in dynamic and interactive dashboard. The tool enables users to assess the cost effectiveness and potential of various DER and energy efficiency technology solutions and verify the performance of behind-the-meter solutions with predictive persistence modeling for NWA options.

TARGET POTENTIAL

PinPoint

PinPoint is a bottom-up probabilistic market-model utilizing methods borrowed from political campaigning, retailing, and data analytics. The model generates customer specific estimates of energy savings potential and the customer’s propensity to participate in a program. The results include customer specific leads lists and highly specific market segmentation which can be useful for designing marketing campaigns.

Case Studies

NYSERDA

Energy Storage Soft Cost Reduction

ERS’s was contracted to help NYSERDA reduce customer acquisition costs and accelerate the market for behind-the-meter energy storage projects that can provide financial benefits to the customer while also providing grid, renewable, and resiliency benefits. ERS utilized its DERIVE Load Modeling Platform to determine DER project financials (including solar PV, energy storage, and CHP systems) for hundreds of C&I/MUSH sites throughout New York State. The model used a combination of industry standard software such as PVWatts® with proprietary algorithms to accurately capture battery deployment. ERS evaluated multiple metrics, including annual revenue and payback. Revenue sources included customer bill savings, rate shifts, demand response participation, state and utility incentive programs, local tax abates, federal tax benefits, and accelerated depreciation. Depending on the value stream, modeling occurred as granular as every 15-minutes.

EFFICIENCY MAINE TRUST

Non-Wires Alternatives Support & Demand Response Program Design

ERS is leading an effort to help Efficiency Maine Trust assess the reliability, deployability, capacity, and concurrence of NWAs to provide permanent and/or peak period demand reduction during critical time periods and/or events. As part of Maine’s utility planning process, ERS reviews large infrastructure upgrades for applicability of NWA solutions. Once a load pocket is identified, ERS conducts a segmentation analysis, utilizing customer AMI data and associated account metadata to understand loads by customer class and facility type. The team identifies energy efficiency and DR solutions that can relieve the load during the constrained periods and determines the technical and economic potential that can be achieved by each solution. In addition, ERS is assisting the Trust in designing and deploying a statewide DR program in the summer of 2021.

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