Empowering Grid Flexibility and Optimizing Energy Control with Apolloware’s ADER Solution

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) is a member-owned utility serving over 29,000 members and operating more than 40,000 meters in the Texas Hill Country. The utility has built a software platform, Apolloware, that monitors sub circuit activity at members’ service panels. This provides customers with transparency about their bill and enables participation of distributed energy resources in energy markets.

BACKGROUND

Please visit our previous case study on Apolloware’s unique live energy monitoring solution here.

OPPORTUNITY: Enabling Real-Time Distributed Energy Management

With the growing demand for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) like solar, batteries, and electric vehicles, BEC sought to leverage its Aggregated Distributed Energy Resources (ADER) to participate in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) wholesale power market. This initiative aimed to help BEC reduce energy supply costs, participate in grid-stabilizing programs, and offer backup power solutions to its members.

To achieve ERCOT’s stringent requirements for market participation, BEC needed a robust energy management solution capable of forecasting real-time ADER capabilities, dynamically adjusting DER commands, and providing seamless communication between DERs and ERCOT every two seconds. The project also required a solution that could overcome challenges like communication failures and DER underperformance.

SOLUTION: Dynamic Energy Management with Apolloware’s ADER

BEC partnered with 27Global to develop an advanced Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) through its Apolloware platform. The primary focus was to create a flexible and scalable platform that could manage an aggregated set of DERs, integrate seamlessly with third-party devices, and ensure compliance with ERCOT’s real-time energy market requirements.

After defining the project’s goals, 27Global brought in an expert team of cloud engineers, software developers, and consultants to design and build a solution that met BEC’s requirements. Collaborating closely with BEC’s Energy Services and other stakeholders, 27Global delivered an DERMS platform tailored to meet the requirements of ERCOT’s ADER pilot.

Apolloware ADER Implementation
The initial phase focused on the development of a dynamic architecture that could handle real-time telemetry data and adjust DER commands on the fly. Key features included:

• Real-time telemetry streaming: Apolloware meters and OEM-integrated battery systems are polled every two seconds using AWS Elastic Container Service and serverless Lambda functions. This ensures that all live data from DERs is captured and transmitted to ERCOT via Apolloware’s SCADA system.
• Dynamic DER control: Apolloware integrates with battery OEM APIs, allowing real-time adjustments to ensure BEC’s ADER meets ERCOT’s target MW values. This system was designed to handle frequently changing instructions and ensure consistent performance despite DER reliability challenges.
• Custom data processing: Real-time data is processed using AWS Kinesis Data Streams and Apache Flink to ensure high availability and accuracy of telemetry data. This enables Apolloware to meet ERCOT’s stringent telemetry requirements.
• Scalability and flexibility: The open-access design of Apolloware allows seamless integration with additional devices such as thermostats and electric vehicle chargers, providing BEC with a future-proof solution for expanding its ADER program.

RESULTS: ERCOT Qualification and Grid Optimization

The partnership between BEC and 27Global led to the successful qualification of BEC’s ADER to participate in both ERCOT’s real-time energy market as well as for the ERCOT Contingency Reserve Service (ECRS). This initiative marked a significant milestone for BEC, providing both economic and operational benefits for their members.

“This is a monumental achievement and a significant milestone for our cooperative. Together, we’ve achieved something remarkable that will have a lasting impact on the future of our organization and the industry as a whole.”

– John Padalino, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, Bandera Electric Cooperative

The deployment required proficiency in AWS services such as Kinesis Data Streams, Apache Flink, and S3 for data aggregation and real-time analytics. Automation tools like Terraform were used to streamline infrastructure deployment processes.

The success of this project has laid a strong foundation for future ADER expansions, with BEC poised to integrate more DERs and optimize its participation in energy markets. The flexible architecture also ensures that Apolloware can adapt to future market needs and regulatory changes, helping BEC continue to lead the way in energy management solutions.

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