Open Access Technology International (OATI) successfully concludes acceptance testing on OATI distributed Energy Resource Management Application with KCP&L

Minneapolis, MN: December 04, 2012 – Open Access Technology International, Inc. (OATI) and KCP&L are pleased to announce the successful completion of acceptance testing of webDistribute, OATI’s Distributed Energy Resource Management (DERM) solution as part of the KCP&L SmartGrid Demonstration Project. The webDistribute solution passed all acceptance criteria and will allow KCP&L to utilize customer-side resources to deal with distribution grid reliability and economic issue.

One of the key objectives of this project is to show interoperability among various vendors and legacy KCP&L systems. Using proven industry standards, such as IEC 61968 and IEC 61850, as well as evolving standards such as OpenADR 2.0, has been a key factor for the success of the project.

In partnership with KCP&L, OATI webDistribute is provided as a DERM system to KCP&L’s SmartGrid Demonstration Project, funded in-part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The system interfaces with KCP&L’s Customer Information System (CIS), Geographical Information System (GIS), Meter Data Management (MDM), and Distribution Management System (DMS) to present a full view of customer-side Demand Response (DR) and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) to the distribution grid operator. OATI webDistribute also interacts with Home Energy Management Portal, Vehicle Charge Management System, and commercial Building Management Systems to schedule and control customer-side assets. This allows the use of customer-side resources to address distribution grid reliability and economic issues.

“Our SmartGrid Demonstration Project is an opportunity for us to learn about the future application of new and efficient ways of delivering electricity to our customers,” said KCP&L’s SmartGrid director, Bill Menge. “We want to take what we’ve learned and develop a blueprint for future applications. OATI’s webDistribute has helped us cross an important milestone in that process.”

“OATI is proud of our contribution to the success of KCP&L’s SmartGrid Demonstration Project,” said Sasan Mokhtari, Ph.D., President and CEO of OATI. “KCP&L has been a valued partner, and we hope to continue our relationship well into the future.”
 
OATI webDistribute receives up-to-date grid models from the DMS and determines the control strategies for customer-side assets. OATI webDistribute is provided as Software-as-a-Service from OATI’s state-of-the-art Data Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It will control customer-side assets directly, through the Home Energy Management Portal, or via the DMS.
 
About OATI

OATI provides innovative software solutions that simplify, streamline, and empower the operational tasks required in today’s energy commerce and Smart Grid. With 1,200 customers across North America, OATI successfully deploys large, complicated, and diverse mission-critical applications committed to industry standards and stringent NERC CIP guidelines. OATI is the leading provider of Smart Grid, Energy Trading and Risk Management, Transmission Scheduling, Congestion Management, and Market Management products and services, with headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota and an office in Redwood City, California. For more information, please contact sales@oati.net.
 
About KCP&L

Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, Great Plains Energy Incorporated (NYSE: GXP) is the holding company of KCP&L Company and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company, two of the leading regulated providers of electricity in the Midwest. KCP&L and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations use KCP&L as a brand name. More information about the companies is available on the Internet at www.greatplainsenergy.com or www.kcpl.com.