PowerClerk Analytics expands operating and planning visibility of PV and other Distributed Energy Resources to the grid edge
Leverage DER data for operations, planning, and analysis
The growth of DERs is causing challenges for grid operators and planners impacted by DER power production, consumption and future adoption. PowerClerk Analytics generates descriptive and predictive models with DER data to enhance engineering and planning tools. Results cut across utility silos—from DER program management to system operations and planning, load forecasting, and integrated resource planning—with transparent model outputs.
PowerClerk Analytics cloud-based software and services bring visibility to interconnected and queued DERs, improving utility decision-making and ensuring efficient system integration.
PowerClerk Analytics consists of five modules:
DER Adoption Scenarios | PV Fleet Simulations | Virtual Energy Audit | PV Potential Study | PV Specification Inference
DER System Specs From:
DER Adoption Scenarios
DER Adoption Potential
PV Production Simulation
Distribution & Resource Planning
- Generate DER adoption scenarios to study a wide range of potential impacts at the feeder, substation and utility-wide level
- Evaluate territory-wide baseline and potential for building electrification, building shell efficiency and rooftop PV
- Disaggregate behind-the-meter PV production from net load to establish true gross load growth
System Operations
- Improve operational decision-making with short-term PV production forecasts
- Check performance of existing PV systems against modeled production data to spot issues early
- Ensure data consistency between systems with reliable web adapters and APIs
Scaling Building Electrification with the Virtual Energy Audit (VEA)
Clean Power Research’s Virtual Energy Audit (VEA) is an AI-powered solution for calculating building shell efficiency that can be completed without staff on site.
The VEA makes it possible to remotely characterize, classify and quantify the efficiency of existing buildings across a service territory or state using rapid, highly scalable and cost-effective software approaches.
By leveraging the VEA, energy stakeholders (including utilities, energy agencies and State governments) are enabled to make intelligent program design and targeting decisions. End customers (including citizens and consumers) are, in turn, empowered to take concrete actions such as signing up for an energy program or purchasing equipment such as an electric heat pump based on a sizing recommendation coming out of the VEA.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Case Study:
PowerClerk Analytics includes the following modules and software-supported studies to meet each utility’s unique needs
DER Adoption Scenarios
Evaluate the impacts of PV + storage, EV and electric heating adoption scenarios. Use historical trends from PowerClerk and utility-specific factors such as rates and incentives, solar generation potential, and technology costs. Allocate adoption scenarios at levels ranging from the feeder circuit to customer class.
Compare user-driven DER adoption scenarios
PV Fleet Simulations and Irradiance Data
Enhance visibility with hourly or sub-hourly time-series PV production for the as-built PV fleet, queued fleet or future PV adoption scenarios. Sets typical-year and historical simulations to disaggregate gross load from net load for improved load forecasting. Use real-time irradiance data and PV simulations to support utility operations and DERMS.
Simulate feeder-level PV production
Virtual Energy Audit (VEA)
Determine building shell efficiency and potential for fuel switching to electric heating and cooling for buildings in the utility territory. Use results to inform rates and incentives policy, design energy programs, perform targeted customer outreach and gain insights on future trends.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) VEA Case Study:
Identify the approximate date on which changes to the heating and cooling equipment or building shell have been made
PV Potential Study
Study the territory-wide potential for rooftop PV adoption based on 3D models of roof surfaces. Use to set limits on long-term PV adoption in resource and system planning, and to study non-wires alternatives to infrastructure upgrades.
PV Specification Inference
In cases where PV specifications are incomplete or inaccurate, infer those specifications using net-load data along with our models and irradiance data. Downstream, these improved PV specifications can be updated to the DER system of record and used to generate more accurate PV simulations.
Study building efficiency, electric heating potential and/or PV potential
Cut across utility silos with flexible options to connect DER data with utility tools and processes.
- Distribution System Analysis Tools
Integrate with tools such as CYME, Synergi, LoadSEER, or EPRI Drive
- Scheduled Delivery
Data delivered daily, weekly, or monthly without IT involvement
- Streamline Data Input
Transfer data files via SFTP to a known location for secure or convenient access, or tighten and customize integration by calling well-documented REST APIs.