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Potomac Edison seeks limited two‑year BYOD pilot and TOU meters for customers lacking AMI
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Summary
Potomac Edison proposed a two‑year BYOD virtual power plant pilot targeting about 300 residential customers and a simple metered TOU option for non‑AMI territory, asking for a surcharge to recover program costs.
Potomac Edison told the Public Service Commission it will pursue a two‑year virtual power plant pilot under the DRIVE Act focused on residential customers with batteries and bidirectional EVs, and a companion time‑of‑use schedule tailored for a service area that lacks full AMI metering.
Potomac Edison said its VPP pilot is deliberately modest in size — 300 enrolled customers — aimed at testing device visibility, event participation and customer retention. The company proposed a two‑part enrollment payment (annual connectivity incentive plus a performance incentive of up to $300 per kilowatt per year) with a performance floor (participants earning full payment if they meet 75% of dispatch hours).
Because Potomac Edison has limited AMI coverage, the company proposed installing simple binary interval metering for participating TOU customers and emphasized an evaluation plan tied to event performance rather than continuous 24‑hour telemetry. The company also recommended a surcharge to recover incremental pilot and TOU implementation costs and indicated it will consult the PC‑44 TOU work group on evaluation metrics.
Why it matters: Potomac Edison serves customers in parts of Maryland where AMI penetration is limited; its approach tests lower‑touch, lower‑cost metering solutions while seeking results on customer engagement that could be used to inform larger programs. Staff supported deferring detailed tariff decisions and recommended Potomac Edison work with the PC‑44 TOU group on M&V and nonresidential SOS rate issues.
Key details: Potomac Edison’s proposed pilot budget supports recruitment, outside services (a third‑party implementer/DERM provider), and limited FTE additions; the company expects to file a surcharge tariff within 60 days of a commission order to recover pilot expenses. The utility said the BYOD model reduces upfront subsidy requirements and positions the company to learn how to integrate third‑party implementers with internal processes.
Stakeholder feedback and next steps: Intervenors and staff asked for clearer plans on third‑party implementer selection, reporting cadence, and how the pilot would avoid creating stranded costs if the resources must be continued after the pilot period. Staff recommended a surcharge approach for Potomac Edison’s recovery mechanism and asked the company to work with the PC‑44 work group and provide detailed evaluation proposals.
