The Austin Energy SHINES Project and Department of Energy recently received Greentech Media's 2018 Grid Edge Innovation Award for their creation of the first Virtual Power Plant and Distributed Energy in the country. The Grid Edge Awards recognize the top companies that are driving change in the electricity system.
Melinda Zito O'Brien, owner of Energy Utility Group (EUG), was the WBE selected for the project.
EUG served as a consultant for STEM (system integrator) and Austin Energy. On this project, EUG was the first company to successfully submit applications and secure energy storage solutions (ESS) commercial permits in the City of Austin for multiple locations. This required coordination with the City of Austin reviewers and departments such as Austin Fire Department, electrical inspection, aux power interconnect, meter variance, and other stakeholder parties. This led to EUG participating in the development of the City of Austin’s permits process for ESS. EUG's scope of work continued to expand and to include: local project management; AE client coordination & relations; scheduling, logistics, shut-downs for electrical installation and fire sprinkling systems installers for full system integration and interconnection through to acceptance testing.
Congratulations, Melinda!
