Over the last three decades, Encorp watched as the market for on-site solutions such as microgrids evolved over time. The traditional focus of leading controls vendors such as Encorp has been on the ability to control diverse distributed energy resources (DERs) –from prime movers to distributed solar photovoltaics (PV) and more recently battery energy storage systems (BESS) – and optimize performance to meet reliability, resilience, economic and sustainability goals. Yes, with the right controls platform and business models, each of these goals can be achieved with a state-of-the-art microgrid today with technologies that please the eye.
Encorp was a pioneer in offering attractive looking DER controls, releasing its Gold BoxTM some two decades ago. Considered one of the OG offerings in the field, several thousand of these distributed controls boxes have been installed in mission critical and premium power applications around the world. Typically installed at the point of common coupling with utilities, these boxes – which our clients called “gold boxes” because of their aesthetics — can control the full spectrum of DERs.
Lately, however, our customers have been requesting new visual tools to communicate sophisticated messaging to a broad swath of microgrid project stakeholders. These stakeholders range from utility system operators to elected officials to everyday citizens. In response, Encorp is enlisting leading creative firms – such as FictionTribe — in the screen visualization and programming worlds to advance the state of the industry’s efforts in this regard. The end result? Encorp Design, a new and evolving company product line focused on world class visual dashboards to educate viewers about real-time operations and benefits of microgrid fleets.
I am an industrial engineer and have always taken an interest in human factors impacting technology as well as how ergonomics shape information sharing. A book entitled “Visual Explanation: Images and Quantities; Evidence and Narrative” by Edward R. Tufte was an early inspiration for me in my career. I think the energy industry is at a place now where it can benefit from advanced messaging technology that can translate ofttimes dense and complex data for the general public.
Encorp Design is a natural offshoot of two previous endeavors pioneered by Encorp. The first was an effort to increase the curb appeal of microgrid controllers themselves, with the Encorp Egility platform wrapped in sleek curved front enclosures that provoke a sophisticated aesthetic. I think of this new product line as something appealing to buyers because of their appearance; controllers take on an air of cutting-edge technology — because that’s what they are. An analogy could be something like Porsche Design with lifestyle products for those who like high-end sports cars. Controllers are no longer geeky devices only an engineer could love. The curved and smooth exterior of the Egility controller is meant to be a classy differentiator.
The second endeavor is Encorp’s “microgrids for the masses” campaign, which seeks to offer customers choices and flexibility in design, vendor selection and financing – as well as the ability to integrate legacy assets. This curated and flexible approach leverages local partners as much as possible, as described in this recent white paper by Peter Asmus of Pathfinder Communications. In short, it stands as an alternative to large multi-national company offerings which have been plagued by vendor lock-in requirements and hidden and often substantial fees.
The Vertical Value of Encorp Design
I like to think of Encorp Design as offering value vertically since it is an offering that expands beyond the narrow silo of other controller firm offerings. What we’ve done is drilled down deeper into the data available across any utility’s microgrid or microgrid portfolio controlled by Encorp. And then we’ve made it accessible to those who operate fleets of microgrids – providing a centralized vantage point of real-time operations. Such operators can drill down as deep as they would like to see if each microgrid in the fleet is meeting utility metrics, state mandates and other goals. In addition, the screens may be upgraded continuously and remotely, as is often the case with microgrids themselves.
As an example of what is now possible in this vertical realm, Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) can currently monitor real-time performance of all its 29 power stations. Using live, real-time data, the interactive touchscreens can showcase each energy resource controlled by the Encorp Egility platform and their relative contributions to the power supply of an individual microgrid — as well as to the entire new microgrid fleet. That’s an unprecedented vertical deep dive into the operational complexity of microgrid fleets which can accelerate the mainstreaming of microgrids across the globe.
The Horizontal Value of Encorp Design
The vertical value of Encorp Design rests primarily in control rooms and within the utility operations. These visual dashboards – if designed properly – can also provide horizontal value through public education by informing the masses about the benefits of microgrid fleets. Since the data is cloud-based, these screens can be installed virtually anywhere where there is good Internet connectivity. Think Tik-Tok when it comes to these dashboards. Scrolling on touchscreens just makes the operations of microgrids more accessible to the next generation of electricity consumers.
Curated additional outputs can be incorporated via client negotiations. For example, progress toward compliance with the Paris Accord climate change reduction goals of a 30% reduction in fossil fuel use by 2030 will be featured in the dashboards being installed for BPL. (BPL is a pioneer in both vertical and horizontal visual dashboard applications.) In addition to centralized core screens, additional individualized screens will provide details and data specific to each microgrid location, informing local stakeholders of where their power is coming from at any single point in time. Most recently, working with local and leading digital creative firms, Christmas music was added as audio to public facing dashboards in the Bahamas. Utility natural gas pipeline data will also be added to touchscreens to provide that information to the masses as well.
Touchscreens can be customized depending upon their location and primary function. There may be different priorities between a power generation site versus a centralized location focused on public education. This flexible approach mimics the fundamental concepts underlying Encorp’s microgrid controls approach to managing assets provided from a diverse array of manufacturers and independent power producers, customized to meet the needs and desires of clients.
Conclusion
The Encorp Design journey started with a human-machine interface (HMI) at the Santa Rita Jail microgrid in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most complex microgrids in the world incorporating solar, wind, fuel cells, generators, batteries and an array of innovative energy efficiency upgrades. Encorp followed that innovative project with an electric vehicle (EV) charging microgrid for Vail Buick in the state of New York, our first step into a public facing dashboard with a patented multi-panel sliding display. The rationale for the display was that those shopping for cars, including EVs, would find it interesting to see where the electricity was coming from to power up the on-site microgrid.
The next leap forward for these dashboard systems were deployed for Georgia Transmission Cooperative and then the aforementioned BPL. Advances in design and IT technology now allow for tactile visual dashboards that are intuitive and which convert esoteric data into compelling visuals on touchscreens. As we continue to learn from these most recent dashboards, I see several advances on the horizon, including 3D modeling and imagery. The next deployment of Encorp Design will be at a large airport in the Caribbean which will not only show energy data, but flight departures and other requested data points.
With the augmentation of real-time data visualization, the Microgrid for the MassesTM program is a game-changer for the global microgrid market. By offering a curated, flexible solution that breaks free from the constraints of traditional, rigid microgrid offerings, this program ensures that clients in diverse locations can meet cost savings and sustainability and goals while empowering local developers and partners to contribute to the energy transition and a more informed citizenry. The visual dashboard component could emerge as a requirement for many future microgrids, demystifying electricity sourcing for everyone.
