![]() ![]() However, this does not eliminate the requirements they cannot control or standardize.įortunately, software vendors like Esri have provided their products that utilities can use completely out of the box. Certainly, they can move to more industry-standard practices that can be automated. This is particularly tough when many material, employment, facility contracts, regulatory agreements, rate structures, and policies stand in the way. There is very little a software vendor can do to force utilities to standardize. Software with extensive customization may require updates that can take months or even years to plan and execute. So as needs evolve, a utility can’t wait for the latest patch or release. Likewise, the utilities’ customers expect them to provide modern solutions and be responsive to their needs. Utilities expect their IT systems to be able to leverage the latest capabilities. Yet they are also expected to be more responsive. Major IT systems have become more complicated as utilities continue to automate. In addition, utilities must upgrade, recompile, test, and deploy with each release. While these customized “off the shelf” solutions were better than building something from scratch, upgrades and support were labor-intensive, expensive, and risky.Ĭustomization relies on developers with a deep understanding of software and architecture to write and compile code. The problem was, however, they had to customize these products to accommodate the unique situations. ![]() So, over the years, utilities opted to replace home-grown systems with “off-the-shelf” products. The bottom line is that custom IT applications are a burden. The Oxymoron of Customized “Off the Shelf” Products The answer is simple: modernize software to use extremely flexible products. With all of these challenges, how can utilities deal with the uniqueness of requirements while demanding no custom software? How do utilities expand services and modernize infrastructure without impacting safety, reliability, or consumer costs? Looking forward, rules for electric vehicles and charging, smart cities, various renewable and storage facilities, and carbon pricing create even more opportunities for uniqueness. As things change, it can be hard to figure out which workflows need to be eliminated entirely while maintaining older home-grown systems become nearly impossible. To make matters worse, often these systems were built decades ago in computer languages no longer in use. Unfortunately, utilities find ways to model these unique processes into the design of their IT systems which results in further complications. Finally, some utilities just like to do things differently. As a result, the payroll and work management systems become very specific. In addition, utilities also employ various types of worker arrangements, each with its own special provisions, which can be complicated and diverse. Tesla has also developed software to enable more renewable generation on the grid with features such as Virtual Machine Mode.All utilities do pretty much the same thing, yet each has its own unique processes.įor example, in the US, state commissions regulate their rates however, setting rates can be complicated as they vary from state to state and each company’s billing and customer IT systems have unique algorithms used to determine these. Autonomous Control products driving value to customers today include: Autobidder, Opticaster and Microgrid Controller. Tesla Autonomous Control algorithms automate the dispatch of energy assets to maximize economic value. Tesla’s suite of optimization software solutions, Autonomous Control, is composed of machine learning, forecasting, optimization and real-time control algorithms used for utility bill reduction, demand response participation, microgrid control and wholesale energy market bidding. Beyond energy storage, Tesla software also supports solar, vehicle charging and non-Tesla assets required for operating microgrids and utility-scale power plants. A common software platform powers the entire Tesla product ecosystem from Tesla’s largest storage product, Megapack, to virtual power plants made up of thousands of Powerwalls. ![]()
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