Page 88 - North American Clean Energy September October 2015

energy storage

Energy Management

The key to aligning the solar, smart

home, and electric vehicle industries

by Erik Norwood

AS THE SOLAR, SMART HOME, AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE INDUSTRIES CONVERGE, energy management is key to coordinating their
respective technologies.
In the last few years, we’ve watched the smart home’s rise from a niche industry to it playing center stage at the consumer
electronics show. Similarly, the growth in popularity of electric vehicles has driven most major manufacturers to ofer either all-

electric, or hybrid options. Not to be outdone, the residential solar industry has evolved past grid parity in many areas with creative
inancing, which empowers customers to shift their consumption away from local utility providers. Today, each of these industries
stand as individual silos, but tomorrow’s energy solutions providers will need to have a comprehensive solution tying these core home
energy solutions together in a single

energy management package.

Smart Home
he smart home is a noisy place with

thousands of connectable devices released
each year, and companies announcing new
platforms and standards every quarter.
At the center of these solutions are

three core customer value propositions:
improved home safety, convenience,
and greater energy eiciency. Motion-
activated security systems enable us to

feel safer, provide remote viewing via
cameras, and let us control access to
our homes. Individual smart switches
allow remote control of speciic outlets

and lights tied to a schedule, or phone
location (e.g. the porch light is only on
when it really should be). Smarter (and
more attractive) thermostats have taken

center stage by automatically adjusting
the cooling/heating schedule to match
the homeowners’ actual day-to-day
comfort needs. Even home audio is more

intelligent, with solutions to control music
and TV in any room, from a handheld
device. With all of this feverish enthusiasm

for home gadgets, which products will truly
have market staying power?
he answer lies in energy management
solutions which provide long term value

for customers in terms of convenience,
energy savings, AND safety, by bridging
the home’s network of smart devices with
its solar system, and electric vehicles. In

North America’s Premier Exhibition fact, customers are already looking for
and Conference for the Solar Industry this solution; 62% of Americans want a
connected device to measure home energy
Moscone Center, San Francisco
use. [1]

New energy management systems
help remind customers if potentially
dangerous devices (such as stoves, space
Meet the decision makers who are shaping the solar market heaters, and curling irons) are accidentally
Identify prospects and implement your business strategies
Tap into the incredible potential of the U.S. solar market
left on. hey can also identify energy
Go solar at North America's most-attended solar event
hogs and help consumers balance their
energy consumption against their energy
production; all while leveraging platforms

co-located with
that add the convenience of remote
Exhibit now!
control.

Electric Vehicles

he electric vehicle industry is also seeing
a huge rise in popularity. In 2014, sales
of electric vehicles in the US were up over

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