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Columbia is the First Latin American Country to See Its Electric Grid Optimization Platform Go Live

By Joe Rizzo August 03, 2015

Hydroelectricity is the most widely used form of renewable energy. The term refers to electricity generated by the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source of renewable electricity.

One Latin American country that has relied on its hydroelectric power plants is Columbia. Last year, the country suffered through one of the worse draughts in history. You can imagine the impact that such a draught had on the country’s 600,000 electric customers.

Innovari is a company with the goal of delivering grid power management into the hands of the power plant. Controlling energy use in homes, offices and factories to reduce stress on the power grid has traditionally been something that utilities and grid operators buy from their customers and third parties.

If utilities could get demand under the same precise control maintained over power plants and grid infrastructure, they could provide efficiency in both power and cost. Innovari has been working on this solution since 2011 and its answer is Innovari's Interactive Energy Platform (IEP). Colombian utility Empresas Municipales de Cali (EMCALI) are among those who may benefit from Innovari’s new advanced energy project. It was launched on June 30 in the city of Cali, Colombia, but it was also successfully launched earlier in the month with Turkish utility Kayseri ve Civari Elektrik Türk. In addition, Innovari opened its new India Technology Center designed to develop and rapid delivery of its technology across the country and to support its global expansion.

“The IEP automates electricity consumption during peak hours using an approach that is so subtle and efficient, there is no noticeable impact on business operations or customer experience,” said Andres Felipe Jaramillo Salazar, Manager, energy strategic business unit, EMCALI. “Customers report that buildings still feel cool, yet they are reducing demand on the grid, while saving money and contributing to more affordable and reliable power across the region.”

In effect, Innovari’s IEP is essentially turning areas into smart cities. The IEP automatically monitors the load can change thermostat and lighting needs within campuses, supermarkets and corporate offices. The IEP monitors customer environment and load reduction feedbacks in real-time, giving it the opportunity to fine tune and maintain the power grid.

“While most utilities' grid utilization is around 43 percent, EMCALI aims for 73 percent utilization through the IEP,” said Manuel Arancibia, President, Latin America, Innovari. This can be accomplished by EMCALI taking Innovari’s new approach of unlocking capacity from the distribution grid to balance supply and demand resources and to optimize grid performance and utilization. This is all accomplished without the need to add additional generation resources. 




Edited by Ken Briodagh
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