Current will be providing its intelligent grid sensors and its OpenGrid software platform that features Volt/VAR Control and Dynamic Voltage Optimization using Dynamic Measurement and Verification through a real-time power flow and grid state estimation engine.
The Current applications will utilize Beckwith Electric’s regulator controls and capacitor bank controls to enable command and control of distribution system devices.
Blue Grass Energy is a member of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC), which is also sponsoring the project by providing funding and technical resources.
The integrated Current and Beckwith grid optimization solution being piloted at Blue Grass Energy is designed to be rapidly deployable and can be deployed on a substation by substation or application by application basis or as an enterprise wide solution in both the Public Power and Investor Owned Utility market segments.
Tom Beckwith, CEO of Beckwith Electric, said: ”By leveraging strong relationships with industry leaders such as Current Group, Beckwith Electric, and NRTC, we are in a strong position to continue to deliver market-leading, state-of-the-art intelligent distribution solutions to utilities such as Blue Grass Energy that help them cost effectively and quickly deploy Smart Grid today and realize ongoing benefits to consumers and the environment from these investments for years to come.”
Bob Phillips, president and CEO of NRTC, said: ”Grid efficiency through reduced losses and voltage regulation can create significant value for our member electric cooperatives and their consumer members. NRTC looks forward to working with Blue Grass Energy and the other project partners to make this deployment a success and share the results with our members.”
