PowerSouth and Optiwatt enter partnership to ensure EVs don’t stress power grid during peak demand
In a not-so-distant future, in an Alabama town, a Mom picks up her kids from ball practice. They get snacks from the refrigerator and turn on their computers to do homework while watching TV and charging their phones at the charging station. Mom plugs in her new electric vehicle (EV) to charge, then turns on the electric skillet, the microwave, and the oven to prepare dinner while listening to satellite radio and drying a load of clothes in the electric clothes dryer. She then hooks up the robot vacuum to its charger after its deployment in the den. It is 98 degrees in an Alabama summer, so the air conditioning is going full tilt, and the sprinklers are keeping the lawn watered. Dad comes in and plugs in his EV to charge before he puts his smartphone on the charger and turns on the Smart TV and his favorite playlist while he catches up on the day’s news. This is repeated a thousand times in this idyllic future Alabama town. This all sounds wonderful, but electric grid planners see a problem here – and that is the number of kilowatts being pulled by thousands of EVs getting plugged in at the same time right during peak power demand. Seeing where this could lead to problems for the grid, PowerSouth Electric Cooperative has announced a partnership with EV charging platform Optiwatt that allows electric vehicle owners in participating areas of Alabama and Florida to receive $25 compensation to register for the PowerSouth Managed Charging Pilot. The partnership between Optiwatt and PowerSouth is a pilot program aimed at preparing U.S. electricity grids for increasing EV adoption, which will grow exponentially in the next few years and put local utility providers under stress due to heightened charging demand. Managed charging automates EV charging to prevent excess electricity usage during those peak demand times. This, in turn, reduces the cost of electricity and lessens CO2 emissions and the risk of grid blackout for utility providers. The Electric Vehicle Research Pilot will analyze EV charging trends to prepare the South’s electricity infrastructure for the expected load from electric vehicle charging. Optiwatt is the largest telematics-based managed charging platform in North America. Their partnership with PowerSouth Energy Cooperative will help plan for increased energy demand as more electric vehicles (EVs) hit the road in the Southeast as the Biden Administration is demanding that Americans adopt EVs. Mike Majors is the Member Services Coordinator of PowerSouth “Our service territory has seen growth in EV use, particularly in pockets of coastal Florida and Alabama,” said Majors. “For EVs to be sustainable long term, we must position the grid to support increased electrification and new charging habits. This is what the Optiwatt partnership seeks to address.” Optiwatt and 14 of PowerSouth’s distribution member systems are inviting EV owners in its service area across southern Alabama and northwest Florida to participate in the Electric Vehicle Research Pilot. Users can receive a one-time $10 incentive for signing up and a $15 incentive at the program’s conclusion. Enrollment will end once the program reaches a maximum of 250 vehicles, and the program is currently halfway subscribed after its first week. Participation will not affect vehicle charging in any way. The Biden Administration has ordered vehicle manufacturers to target net-zero emissions in passenger vehicles before 2050. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering requiring that 67% of new passenger vehicles be electric by 2032 and has proposed targeting the coal, natural gas, and oil-powered power plants that produce most of America’s electricity. United States electric providers are scrambling to deal with these future realities. The increase in EV adoption will result in increased stress on the grid. This research pilot will help PowerSouth evaluate the potential impacts of EVs on the grid. The program supports most electric vehicles today, although plug-in hybrids are excluded. Upon enrollment, vehicles will be assigned to a research group to measure the impact of EV charging on grid load optimization. The pilot program began on July 31, 2023, with the City of Elba, as well as CHELCO, Clarke Washington, Coosa Valley, Covington, Dixie, Escambia River, Gulf Coast, Pioneer, South Alabama, Southern Pine, Tallapoosa River, West Florida and Wiregrass Electric Cooperatives participating. The program will end on January 31, 2024, with the objective of continuing as a permanent area of service. To enroll, participants must download the free Optiwatt app on the App Store or Google Play or use a web browser and follow the program instructions. Optiwatt is headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is the largest telematics-based home energy analytics platform in North America. The company’s partnerships with national utility providers and production consumer-facing applications reduce cost and energy usage for home and auto owners. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Secretary of State John Merrill awards Alabama Power, others for polling place help after Zeta
Hurricane Zeta will be remembered as one of the most destructive storms in Alabama history and for its late-season impact – days ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Zeta left many in the state without power, with companies executing a significant response to provide service to both those affected and polling locations for voters to safely cast their ballots. In acknowledgment of this multifaceted response from the public and private sectors, Secretary of State John Merrill on Wednesday presented six National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Medallion Awards “to recognize outstanding service and dedication to furthering the mission of NASS.” Merrill gave medallion awards to Alabama Power, PowerSouth, the Alabama Rural Electric Association, the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, and the Office of Information Technology for their efforts to ensure polling locations had power and that Alabama would have a smooth and successful election. “We are incredibly appreciative of the leadership of Alabama Power, and all organizations recognized today, who stepped up during the state’s time of need to protect our democracy. These brave men and women worked tirelessly around the clock to see that every eligible Alabamian had the ability to successfully cast his or her ballot during the general election,” Merrill said. “On behalf of all the Alabama Power team, it’s an honor to receive this award alongside the other organizations that serve our state,” said Alabama Power CEO Mark Crosswhite. “The damage from Zeta was the third-worst in our company history, requiring a strategic, multiday restoration effort. We appreciate the partnership with the Secretary of State’s office, election officials across the state, and the work of all the utility workers who assisted to restore service to polling locations, ensuring Alabamians had the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.” The ceremony took place in the Old House Chamber at the Capitol in Montgomery. Recipients of the National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Awards stand with Alabama Secretary of State John H. Merrill. (Wynter Byrd / Alabama NewsCenter) Story and images republished with permission of the Alabama News Center.
PowerSouth joins Alabama Power as second major company quitting BCA, citing leadership concern
PowerSouth, an energy cooperative servicing parts of South Alabama have joined Alabama Power in cutting ties with the Business Council of Alabama (BCA). In a letter to BCA Chairman Perry Hand and the BCA Executive Committee, President & CEO of PowerSouth Gary L. Smith indicated that the company believes the BCA has become ineffective under the leadership of Billy Canary. “Our problem with BCA is simply Billy Canary and his leadership. Billy has been effective in the past, but in our opinion Billy is now a severe liability and must be replaced for BCA to again be effective,” Smith said in the letter. PowerSouth’s concerns are similar to those listed by Alabama Power, “[W]e have become concerned that membership in BCA has become a liability rather than a benefit,” wrote Alabama Power CEO Mark Crosswhite in a letter to BCA Chairman Hand and Executive Committee. He continued, “To be candid, BCA has needlessly alienated federal and state officials, failed to communicate with its own members, squandered our collective corporate goodwill, allowed its financial health to decline, and become a divisive force in our State.” Read PowerSouth’s full letter to BCA below: Dear Perry: Power South has been a long, supportive member of BCA. We have supported the BCA political agenda, assisted on many BCA projects and sponsored a number of events for BCA. More recently, I have expressed our concern that BCA has lost its effectiveness and, more importantly, its way. I have described in detail many of our specific concerns about BCA’s activities, shortcomings, and relationships. You are familiar with those concerns and I will not repeat them. They are all symptoms of a more serious issue of leadership. Our problem with BCA is simply Billy Canary and his leadership. Billy has been effective in the past, but in our opinion Billy is now a severe liability and must be replaced for BCA to again be effective. You indicated the BCA Executive Committee agrees a leadership change is needed, but we have serious disagreements about the timing of the replacement, Billy’s continuing involvement in the search for his replacement, and his involvement in the leadership transition. We have no interest in participating or supporting an organization that Billy heads, influences through his choice of successor, or can manipulate through a transitional plan. It is simply time to completely sever the relationship before further damage is done to the organization. Apparently, the Executive Committee doesn’t view the leadership issues as seriously as we measure them. Therefore, you have left us no option other than to withdraw from BCA immediately. Sincerely, GARA Gary L. Smith President & CEO
Energy Institute of Alabama honors state’s linemen
Linemen from a dozen electric companies and cooperatives from across the state gathered on Monday to celebrate Alabama Lineman Appreciation Day, hosted by the Energy Institute of Alabama at Dixie Electric Cooperative in Montgomery. “We’re doing something today that we need to do every day and that is to tell our linemen how much we appreciate what they do,” said Seth Hammett, EIA Chairman and PowerSouth Vice President of Business Development. Joining Hammett in honoring the linemen at the luncheon was Alabama Public Service Commission President Twinkle Cavanaugh and Commissioner Jeremy Oden and Alabama Emergency Management Director Art Faulkner. Baldwin EMC lineman David Hammock and Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives Safety Specialist Eric Turner, a former lineman, also addressed the crowd. “I’m with my co-workers more than I am my family sometimes,” Hammock said. “We are like a family. We watch each other’s backs and we are our brothers’ keepers. We also like to commend our families for giving up a lot for us to do our jobs.” Cavanaugh saluted the linemen, recalling how as a little girl she wished she had a pair of those “fancy shoes they put on that let them climb the poles so quickly.” Now, as PSC president, she told the workers on hand to remember, “Those guys and women in the fancy offices in management at your companies can’t do what you do.” Oden commended the linemen for cooperating when times are difficult after storms strike. “I love the way you work together. You are the front lines. Thank you for the risks you take getting our power back on.” Faulkner, who has been EMA director since 2011, said when a disaster strikes in the state, he has a lineman friend he relies on to gauge the severity of the crisis. “I use my ‘Lineman Index,’” he said. “I call my lineman friend and if he’s enjoying his day in his backyard, I know all is ‘green.’ If I call and I can barely hear him over the sound of his truck, I know he’s on the way to help and I know to go to ‘yellow alert.’ If I call and he doesn’t answer, I know it’s ‘red alert,’ because he is up in his truck helping his fellow linemen and he doesn’t have time to talk to me.” Lineman Appreciation Day was designated as the first Monday in June by the Alabama Legislature in 2014. There are more than 2,000 linemen working for the companies represented by the Energy Institute of Alabama: Alabama Power, PowerSouth, Electric Cities, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the electric cooperatives that are members of the Alabama Rural Electric Association and the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority. Republished with permission of Alabama NewsCenter.
