AMS, Opus One partner on software-storage grid solution

Dive Brief:

Advanced Microgrid Solutions and Opus One Solutions this week announced a new partnership to provide storage and grid management solutions to utilities, aiming to provide higher levels of grid visibility, control, and optimization.
AMS said it will develop and manage distributed energy resources for commercial, industrial, and large aggregated customers, while Opus One will oversee grid management solutions, including grid and microgrid monitoring, control, and optimization.
AMS has been a major player in the energy storage space, and last year selected Tesla to provide batteries for its utility-scale energy storage projects, agreeing to install up to 500 MWh of battery capacity to provide grid support in southern California.

Dive Insight:

AMS is the latest energy storage company to continue a trend of energy storage companies partnering up to provide software for grid management to utilities. Enbala and Sonnen announced a partnership last week, and Stem paired up with Hawaiian Electric to help public schools manage electric demand.

AMS and Opus One said their new partnership will support integration of distributed energy resources, including renewable energy, while also helping customers optimize their energy strategies while contributing to a stronger, more resilient grid.

"This partnership gives AMS and Opus One a competitive edge in terms of what we can offer to both utilities and host customers," Opus One Solutions CEO Joshua Wong said in a statement. "Utilities get improved grid resilience, power quality, utilization, and efficiency. End users realize new value streams, reliable back-up power, and greater control over their energy supply."

The partnership will merge AMS's advanced analytics software, "Armada," and Opus One's "GridOS," a real-time distribution energy management platform.

For its part of the venture, AMS will develop and manage distributed energy resources for commercial, industrial and large aggregated customers. Opus One will oversee electrical grid energy management solutions, including grid and microgrid monitoring, control, and optimization.

"We are thrilled to partner with one of the industry's most progressive thought leaders in software development to meet the needs of an increasingly distributed power grid," said AMS CEO Susan Kennedy. "Our solutions are helping utilities build tomorrow's energy grid – one that's cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable."

In 2014, AMS won a contract with Southern California Edison to provide 50 MW of storage with a plan to install the batteries at commercial and industrial buildings in the West Los Angeles service territory.