The Sentient Energy Grid Edge Control solution is comprised of VC10 hardware and Ample software. The VC10 is a low voltage dynamic VAR compensator and Ample is software for monitoring, configuration, and peak demand management.
Each VC10 autonomously injects up to 10 kVAR on the low voltage side of the distribution transformer to reduce voltage volatility and boost low voltage points.
Grid Edge Control improves conservation voltage reduction (CVR) to deliver incremental energy savings of 1-3% and increases hosting of solar and electric vehicle (EV) charging.
The VC10 is connected on the customer side of the transformer at 208, 240, or 277 volts. It monitors the line voltage and actively adjusts the voltage level by injecting reactive power when the observed line voltage drops below a configurable setpoint. Each VC10 is capable of injecting 1 kVAR increments on a sub-cycle basis up to 10 kVAR.
VC10s can communicate via cellular networks to a head-end system. Ample provides real-time visibility of all VC10 activity as well as voltage and current levels. Ample also enables remote setpoint changes and firmware upgrades.
VC10s weigh only 25 pounds and are easily mounted on a pole below an overhead distribution transformer or on a pad next to an underground transformer. VC10 units are deployed on the secondary side, so there is no need to power down customers during installation.
Grid Edge Control boosts the voltage profile at the distribution transformer, creating greater voltage margins above the lower limit. With this margin utilities can reduce voltage at the substation to yield an incremental 1-3% energy savings.
Increasing residential EV charging can cause voltage levels to dip below 114V minimums. By adding Grid Edge Control at distribution transformers, voltage low points are boosted above 114V to maintain acceptable power quality levels.
On circuits with a high penetration of rooftop solar, voltage can increase above the 126V upper limit when solar generation is high and load is low. Grid Edge Control creates lower voltage margin, enabling voltage reductions at the substation. With reduced voltage there is more upper margin to increase solar hosting capacity.
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