SwitchDin's smart grid is making renewable energy equitable and efficient

Olivia Utharntharm

Sep 15, 2022

2

min read

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The grid as we know it began in the 1870s, and slowly evolved to cover every corner of the earth. Millions of devices, thousands of manufacturers and hundreds of software protocols later, we’re now faced with the task of changing the grid to handle the multi-directional flow of energy. Distributed generation and storage would be difficult enough, but with no uniform standard for communications and control, it’s virtually impossible.

SwitchDin, however, has solved the problem, and turned discord into harmony. SwitchDin has created a platform that securely communicates with and controls virtually any solar system, battery or load, delivering performance intelligence, insight and remote management capabilities. Now every device, and every corner of the grid can be coordinated, delivering the flexibility required for the transition to a renewable energy future, at a time we really need it.

SwitchDin is a stellar Industry Report partner, and we chatted to Andrew Mears, Founder and CEO, about transitioning to a sustainable, renewable and smart energy sector.

"The urgency of the climate crisis means that we need to introduce the most effective solutions as quickly as possible. This is especially important in the energy sector, where rapid decarbonation will help us to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.

The energy transition isn’t just about building more big, renewable power plants (although that’s part of it). It’s also about changing the way that we produce, consume and store electricity, and requires a paradigm shift away from large, centralised and primarily fossil fuel-based generators towards an energy system that is clean, decentralised, flexible and more democratic. This is a huge challenge that requires imagination, good supporting policies and technology that hasn’t existed until only recently.

SwitchDin was founded in 2014 to integrate distributed energy resources (DER) like rooftop solar, battery storage and EVs into the grid’s operation. To address these complex challenges, we form deep collaboration partnerships to deliver real-world outcomes in our projects. We focus on building elements that are scalable and repeatable for future deployments in other projects so that no time or effort is wasted.

Through this approach, we’ve built a platform for energy companies to use so that more DER can be connected to the grid, while enabling homes and businesses who own the equipment to get more value out of their investments by participating in emerging energy sharing opportunities like virtual power plants and community batteries.

We believe that 100% renewables is achievable and should be equitable and efficient, and we are encouraged to see appetite from our partners across the sector to work with us to make this vision a reality."

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