NRG Retail Brand To Offer "Next-Gen Grid Services Program" In Texas

NRG Energy, Inc.'s brand Direct Energy today announced a strategic partnership with Leap, "to deploy a real-time grid services program in Texas to bolster grid flexibility," and provide a, "dynamic load reduction program," focused on C&I customers

Although a newly created NRG REP may not be connected specifically to this newly announced program, EnergyChoiceMatters.com had exclusively first reported earlier this year that NRG had applied for a retail electric provider certificate for a new entity named NRG Controllable Load Services LLC

"Leap together with NRG’s automated real-time economic dispatch program will use flexible, curtailable customer load to increase grid resiliency and mitigate customers’ exposure to volatile wholesale electricity prices," the companies said

The program allows partners to use distributed assets, including smart thermostats, battery storage, EV chargers and more, to respond to wholesale energy market pricing signals, unlocking new revenue streams for asset owners and mitigating NRG’s exposure to high prices. The program's universal API energy market access platform features end-to-end automation so dispatches require no customer action, "minimizing customer impact while maximizing customer benefit," the companies said

“Retail customers are using grid-connected distributed energy technologies at ever-increasing rates,” said Jaden Crawford, Director of Policy at Leap. “These technologies are installed for many reasons; from improving comfort, to charging electric vehicles, to managing building energy use. While performing their primary function, these technologies can also be invaluable and flexible resources for balancing the grid and managing retailers’ exposure to price volatility. Our program with NRG does exactly that, and in return, participating NRG customers receive an additional value stream for further optimizing the technologies they’re already using.”