Packetized Energy

Packetized Energy, operating as a subsidiary of EnergyHub since its acquisition in March 2022, specializes in distributed energy resource (DER) management systems. The company originated in 2016 as a spinoff from the University of Vermont (UVM), founded by three electrical engineering professors: Paul Hines, Jeff Frolik, and Mads Almassalkhi. Their journey began with academic research into managing the electrical grid's response to the variable nature of renewable energy sources, applying principles of packetization and randomization from internet data transfer to energy distribution. This research, backed by significant federal funding, evolved into a commercial venture.

The firm's core business revolves around its Nimble® software platform, which serves electric utilities by transforming fleets of internet-connected devices in homes and small businesses into dispatchable grid resources. Clients, primarily utilities, use this platform to manage grid services, shape electrical loads, and integrate renewable energy more effectively. By coordinating devices like smart thermostats, water heaters, and electric vehicle chargers, the system creates virtual power plants that can respond to real-time grid needs and market signals, such as wholesale prices or carbon data. This approach allows for the stabilization of the grid by deferring energy consumption during peak demand, without compromising the end-users' service quality.

The technology functions by having individual devices send out "packets" of information detailing their energy requirements. The cloud-based Nimble® platform then aggregates these requests and coordinates them to smooth out demand, effectively balancing the grid. This allows utilities to avoid firing up expensive and less clean peaker plants and better integrates fluctuating renewable sources like solar and wind. For consumers, this means their devices still get the necessary power, but the system optimizes the timing to draw cheaper and cleaner energy from the grid. Following the acquisition, the Packetized Energy team, including co-founder Paul Hines who now serves as VP of Power Systems, joined EnergyHub to integrate their load-shaping technology with EnergyHub's broader Mercury DERMS platform, aiming to scale the solution across North America.

Keywords: distributed energy resource management, DERMS, grid flexibility, virtual power plant, load shaping, demand response, smart grid, energy management software, utility software, grid optimization, packetized energy management, renewable energy integration, electric vehicle charging management, smart home energy, grid services, energy transition, clean energy technology, load balancing, energy aggregation