California required new hardware for dynamic pricing, and manufacturers built it

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For dynamic pricing of electricity to work in California, devices that can respond to price signals must be available.

The first set of such devices is now on the market, with the California Energy Commission having certified 73 models of pool controls as meeting the state’s flexible demand appliance standards for the devices.

Pool controls that do not meet the standards may no longer be sold in California.

California’s three largest utilities must soon offer dynamic pricing to all customers. For an owner of a new pool control who opts in to dynamic pricing, the pool control would prioritize operation during hours when electricity prices are low, typically when renewable generation is high.

The CEC is expected to develop additional flexible demand appliance standards for several more types of appliances.

Manufacturers

Pool products manufacturers Pentair, Hayward Pool Products, and Zodiac Pool Systems developed the 73 models of price-responsive pool controls.

Pentair, in developing its pool controls, worked on a pilot project with SkyCentrics, which manufactures EcoPort modules that can communicate with an EcoPort-enabled machine or equipment.

SkyCentrics prepared the image at right to illustrate the project. The image shows price signals originating either from California’s MIDAS database, to which the state’s utilities must post dynamic electric rates, or a price server hosted by research and software firm Olivine that is used for research purposes. SkyCentrics picks up the price signals and transmits them to EcoPort modules. Each module in the project was wired to a pool control device.

The project tested pool pump internal control algorithms to ensure that the daily scheduled flow volume set by the customer would be maintained by the pump system as it responded to price signals.

Impact

To help balance renewables and achieve a lower-cost, cleaner grid, California aims to reach 7 GW of load flexibility by combining 3 GW of price-responsive demand from appliances with 4 GW of traditional demand response, in which some customers “drop load” during the 100 highest-demand hours of the year.

By the time every installed pool control in the state offers flexible demand, the yearly load shift potential will reach 682 GWh of consumer electricity use, the California Energy Commission has estimated.

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