NYPA, CPS Energy Founding Members of Clean Energy Tech Consortium

The New York Power Authority and Texas public power utility CPS Energy are among the utilities and companies that are founding members of the public-private Mercury Consortium.

Conceived by Kraken, the consortium will be managed by the Electric Power Research Institute.

The initiative aims to establish guidelines and best practices to accelerate the adoption and impact of clean energy technologies, such as EV chargers, heat pumps, solar panels, smart thermostats, and residential batteries.

It also focuses on enabling utilities to leverage these technologies to make grids more resilient and efficient to operate, driving the transition to a sustainable energy future.

The consortium will work to define common functional behaviors for low-carbon devices, ensuring they work seamlessly with the grid, regardless of brand, boosting consumer confidence in the energy transition.

The Mercury Consortium is open to electric utilities, manufacturers, technology providers, regulators, and others.

The ability to seamlessly exchange actionable information between two or more systems, referred to as interoperability, could allow for new solutions to better manage the flow of energy from generation to consumption, EPRI said.

“However, there is no universal approach to interoperability in energy systems. Consumer devices that have the capability to operate with utilities’ requirements, integrate into energy systems, and participate in demand-response programs and markets could help the energy system be more responsive and flexible,” it said.

The other founding members are:

Utilities