“We want to make smart devices even smarter—enabling our customers to use their thermostats, electric vehicles, and solar panels already in their homes as tools to better meet their energy needs.”
Sam Sen
VP of Energy Transition Solutions
Vistra
.…on TXU Energy’s new residential demand response program in Texas.
Irving-based Vistra has expanded its residential demand response program in Texas, enabling all customers with a compatible smart thermostat to participate in real-time enhancement of grid reliability, the energy provider announced.
This network of customers with connected devices can automatically reduce their power consumption when electricity demand is high and help balance supply and demand, which Vistra said is a crucial and flexible component in meeting the growing power needs of Texans.
“Texas consumes more electricity than any state in the country, and as the state’s population grows and more products are electrified, that appetite for electricity grows along with it,” Sam Sen, VP of Vistra’s energy transition solutions team, said in a statement.
Small automatic adjustments during peak energy usage
Via Vistra’s flagship brand, the new TXU Energy Connected Conservation program enables anyone with an eligible thermostat to take a more significant role in energy conservation. By agreeing to small, gradual, automatic temperature adjustments during peak consumption periods, customers will help conserve energy across Texas – using less and saving more, the company said.
“Programs like TXU Energy Connected Conservation empower savvy consumers to save money and be part of the solution, making it possible to pool their collective action and reduce electricity demand across the state when the grid needs it most,” Sen said.
With TXU Energy Connected Conservation, customer’s thermostats will be automatically adjusted by no more than a few degrees for a short period of time, Vistra said. The program is designed to offer total flexibility to opt out of a conservation event anytime and control the thermostat manually, the company said.
“Vistra is fully committed to continuing our leadership in the energy transition,” Sen said. “As customer homes continue to electrify, this program will be able to flex, offering even more opportunities to reduce energy use and save.”
For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
Stacey Doré will join Vistra as its first chief strategy and sustainability officer and executive vice president of public affairs, the company announced. As of August 23, she’ll be responsible for corporate strategy, sustainability, regulatory and government affairs, communications, and community engagement at the Irving-based Fortune 500 power company. Doré, who climbed the ladder as a corporate counsel, will report to Jim Burke, Vistra's president and chief executive officer in the new role. She's a “respected, proven leader who has a broad understanding of both our company and our industry,” Burke says. Doré previously worked for Vistra’s predecessor companies, "Her…
-
Over 400 Toyota software and hardware engineers from around the world gathered at the company's Plano campus last month for the SWARM Connected Mobility Hackathon—a 36-hour companywide “concept-to-creation” challenge. And seven UT Dallas students were along for the ride.
-
Fuel cells for cars? Think bigger—because Toyota sure is. After developing hydrogen fuel cell technology for over 25 years, mostly aimed at carbon-zero vehicles, the company is scaling up the tech for uses far beyond cars. Now it's working with the U.S. government to build a system that can add energy to the grid, power things like data centers, and more.
-
As part of a Department of Energy-backed effort, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is investing in SAFFiRE Renewables, a new startup that aims to turn corn waste into sustainable aviation fuel. Once the product is fully tested, SAFFiRE says about 7.5 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel could be produced by 2040. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan calls the technology "game-changing."
-
SMU researchers aim to help address problems in the broad area of computational mathematics for sustainability—such as the management of the energy grid under intermittent renewable power. The research is aimed at developing new algorithms for materials design, bioengineering, and power grid applications. Researchers will use SMU's high-performance computing system—enhanced with an NVIDIA DGX SuperPODTM—as well as the supercomputing resources at Argonne National Laboratory.
