LocalGrid Technologies, a Toronto-based software company, and Hatch, a multidisciplinary professional services firm, today announced the signing of a cooperation agreement to jointly pursue projects and develop technology for microgrid and distributed generation applications.
Hatch provides technical and strategic services, including consulting, information technology, engineering, process development, and project and construction management to the energy, mining, and infrastructure sectors. “Utilities are seeking the ability to integrate distributed generation, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging while increasing the service life of existing grid assets and becoming more resilient to power outages resulting from increasingly volatile weather events. A microgrid control and operation strategy offers this promise,” says Pieter de Koning, Manager of Energy Technology Development and Commercialization at Hatch.
Hatch focuses on bridging the gaps between research and innovative technologies and has experience in developing renewable and alternative power solutions for transmission, distribution and remote customers. The agreement with LocalGrid is seen as an opportunity for Hatch to leverage its expertise to lead the industry in microgrid technology.
LocalGrid’s core product eGridOS runs on utility-grade control hardware and is designed to provide advanced data capture and analytics at extremely high resolution. These functions are required by electrical utilities looking for ways to extend the reliability of aged infrastructures so they may improve quality of service and improve service scalability. Beyond these functions, eGridOS is also designed to provide advanced military-grade security to protect utilities from a variety of cyber security exploits.
Hatch has demand response control technology developed for managing large industrial loads in the metals and mining sector connected to weak electrical grids and captive power plants, as well as proprietary techniques for integrating intermittent renewable generation to electrical grids.
Source: LocalGrid Technologies