Press Releases, News & Technical Documents
November 18, 2013
Report: Residential Solar Systems Reduce Summer Peak Demand by Over 50% in Texas research trial
In most markets, rooftop solar panels are promoted as a way for electric utility customers to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel power and — eventually — save money on their electric bill. According to a new PSR Analytics report from Texas-based energy research firm Pecan Street Research Institute, residential solar systems, and particularly west-facing rooftop systems, may also act as a fairly impactful peak demand reduction device for utilities struggling to meet afternoon demand in hot summer months.
November 14, 2013
GreenTech Media: Are Solar Panels Facing the Wrong Direction?
West-facing rooftop solar panels produced 49 percent more electricity during peak demand compared to south-facing panels, according to a new study from Pecan Street Research Institute. The research is the first of its kind to evaluate the energy production of solar panels oriented in different directions. Pecan Street analyzed 50 homes in the Austin, Texas area. Some had only south-facing panels, others had west-facing panels, and some had both.
November 6, 2013
McCracken named 2013 Smart Grid Pioneer
Smart Grid Today named the 50 Smart Grid Pioneers of 2013 today, drawing upon its coverage of the industry over the last year. These are the experts and risk-takers to whom we turned to explain in detail the industry’s most newsworthy moves, insights, advances, setbacks and new concerns.
October 24, 2013
EVs and the Grid are A-OK
In a study of vehicle charging in a neighborhood with one of the highest residential concentrations of electric cars in the country, researchers found that owners are charging their EVs much less during hot summer afternoons than most behavioral models predicted.
July 19, 2012
In Austin, Charged up About Smart Power
Miles O’Brien examines power grid reliability in a neighborhood near Austin, Texas that uses “smart grid” technology to track – and control – its energy consumption.