Microgrids
E&E News: Blackouts are on the rise. So Austin is making a ‘microgrid’
Scott Hinson is the chief technology officer for Pecan Street Inc., a nonprofit research organization that focuses on ways to spread solar power to reduce the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation. Pecan Street is located in the Mueller neighborhood and has organized some volunteer homeowners to participate in the blackout experiment. It might expose them to infrequent losses of power.
How is an Electric Grid Like an Octopus?
By Suzanne Russo, CEO, Pecan Street – We know that achieving the kind of emission reductions we’ll need to ward off the worst consequences of climate change will require a more flexible, responsive and sophisticated grid. And that will take new thinking. But when it comes to rethinking our grid, we may have some guidance from natural systems that were designed long before the first watt ever powered a lightbulb.
Pecan Street @ 10: A Real-World Plug and Play Test Bed for Innovators Around the World
By Scott Hinson, chief technology officer, Pecan Street - Over the past 10 years, we’ve worked with global brands you’ve heard of and startups you haven't on products ranging from HVAC load management hardware to electric vehicle charging to home automation.
Pecan Street @ 10: Creating an Army of Citizen Scientists, One Soldier at a Time
By Rachel Jenkins, director of operations, Pecan Street Calling Dan McAtee an enthusiastic participant in Pecan Street’s research is a massive understatement. Not only does Dan volunteer for nearly every research project we announce, he makes suggestions about what we should research next. He’s a one man focus group.
Pecan Street PLATFORM Participant SAYA Lands New Customer
By Bart Bohn, startup advisor, Pecan Street Congratulations to SAYA, a provider of a smart water meter for residential and commercial buildings, on the recent announcement of securing installations in 500 homes in The Heights community in Chino, California.
Austin SHINES testing solar + batteries as a clean, dispatchable grid solution
By Andrea Tosi, power systems specialist, Pecan Street Solar energy is ideal as a clean energy resource in places like Texas, where sunshine is abundant. But even in Texas, the sun doesn’t shine 24/7. This variability results in reliability issues for the grid. Energy Storage Systems (ESS) are crucial as solar penetration increases in Austin.
Pecan Street at 10: A Decade of Energy Innovation and Invention
By Colin Rowan, director of communication, Pecan Street – 2019 marks Pecan Street’s 10-year anniversary, and we’re thrilled to report that it’s been an incredible decade of innovation, invention, insight, and progress. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing what we think all of our individual accomplishments add up to — Pecan Street’s 10-Year Top 10.
Power factor – a little known feature of a reliable grid
By Scott Hinson, chief technology officer, Pecan Street Power factor is a measurement distribution engineers use to figure out how difficult it is to provide power to whatever we plug in. Every device that pulls electricity from the grid, from a small phone charger to large industrial loads, has a power factor that can be measured. Exactly what is power factor (or PF)? The easiest way to understand it is to see it.