Lumin, an energy management solutions provider, is pre-releasing its newest residential load control platform, Lumin Edge. This product merges Lumin’s intelligent load management software with a modular design, providing the system with new functionality. The Lumin Edge pre-release program focuses on grid services such as high-resolution, behind-the-meter analytics and advanced demand-side management tools.
At the end of March, Lumin will ship units to co-op and investor-owned utilities across the United States and Canada, including California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, North Carolina and British Columbia. Several global original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners will also receive shipments. The company plans to release Lumin Edge to the broader public in the second half of 2024.
As cities and states enact policies to transition homes away from fossil-fueled appliances and towards electrification, utilities face mounting pressure to maintain grid stability. Lumin Edge’s behind-the-meter analytics and real-time load management capabilities are meant to help grid operators shape demand with precision while allowing customers to respond to increasingly complex utility rate structures. It addresses the need for a responsive, high-capacity demand-side management resource, providing a flexible, cost-effective solution to support grid stability, the company stated in a press release.
Its modular design allows each Lumin Edge Controller to be placed anywhere along the wire from the service panel to the targeted appliance. The Edge Controllers communicate wirelessly with the Edge Hub through a secure mesh network, creating an installation process that can take an electrician less than 12 minutes per load and 10 minutes for commissioning.
With insights across the Lumin fleet, utilities can prepare to operate additional demand response programs and grid-stabilizing virtual power plants (VPPs). Utilities can manage the Lumin fleet through Lumin’s software platform or integrate them directly into their distributed energy resource management system (DERMS).
“Lumin Edge marks a significant leap forward in our mission to equip utilities with transformative solutions for smarter energy management,” said Kelly Warner, Lumin CEO. “With its unmatched capabilities, modular, retrofit-ready setup and seamless integration into utility programs at a fraction of the cost, Lumin Edge will be the most valuable demand-side management resource available to utilities and will redefine how grid operators tackle load management in the age of electrification.”
Later this year, Lumin Edge will also be able to integrate electric vehicle (EV) charging and electrical appliances without a utility service upgrade – a barrier to home electrification that most single-family homes with sub-200-A service will require.
This announcement follows the recent strategic investment by ABB and a collaboration with Sunnova. These partnerships illustrate the industry’s acknowledgment of Lumin’s market-advancing technology and its transformative potential to enable all homeowners to participate in a clean energy future.
News item from Lumin