June 2019
Member Spotlight
In 2019, SECC will be recognizing a member each month, providing an organizational profile and highlighting the member's accomplishments and output in the smart energy space.
About Puget Sound Energy
For more than 145 years, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has provided local energy service for communities in Washington State and today proudly serves 1.1 million electric customers and 825,000 natural gas customers across 10 counties. PSE is currently in process of upgrading its metering system with advanced metering infrastructure. New metering will support corporate goals around creating a smarter grid while also designing new products and services for PSE’s customers.
PSE is committed to creating a better energy future to help preserve and protect the environment. Part of this commitment includes carbon reduction through new product and resource development and cleaner transportation. Learn more about PSE’s carbon reduction initiative at pse.com/TOGETHER.
PSE’s Up & Go Electric
PSE is rolling out a new electric vehicle program for customers in 2019 – PSE Up & Go Electric. The pilot program will primarily focus on market education and increasing access to charging infrastructure. The comprehensive Education & Outreach program is already underway; the program raises awareness and assists customers with electric car and charging decision-making. PSE’s resources include cost calculators, charger comparisons and facts about owning and maintaining an electric car. Customers can also sign up for a monthly newsletter to stay in-the-know on the latest EV news and learn about local ride and drive events.
PSE’s charging program will improve customer confidence and develop best practices around charging options at home, public and in the workplace. Over the coming year, PSE will deploy 500 residential chargers, up to 150 workplace chargers, up to 75 multifamily chargers and 32 DC fast chargers across the service area.
Renewables
PSE is committed to ensuring it can always power customers’ current and future needs. In 2017, PSE launched its Solar Choice and Green Direct programs to help customers – big and small – power their lives with clean energy. PSE is one of a few utilities in the nation to have a voluntary renewable energy program to help large business and municipal customers meet their clean energy goals.
PSE’s Green Direct program sold out within weeks of being announced, with some of the region’s most recognizable organizations like REI, Starbucks and King County signing up to participate. PSE’s Solar Choice program helps customers harness the power of the sun without having to purchase or install solar panels. Instead, solar power is generated from solar farms in Washington and Idaho and added to the power grid on behalf of customers.
Battery Storage
PSE is piloting residential and community battery projects for customers. The residential project will deploy a small number of behind-the-meter batteries at residential locations, with a primary purpose to better understand how residential energy storage can provide backup power and improve reliability. The battery installations will be funded, owned and maintained by PSE.
PSE’s community project will deploy one front-of-meter battery storage in a residential neighborhood with a high occurrence of customer-owned rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) technology with a primary purpose to provide better reliability and integration of excess solar PV electricity back-fed to the grid. The battery will be funded, owned and maintained by PSE and continue to support net metering and customer adoption of rooftop PV technology.
