Newsletter | March 2016

Newsletters,
Chairman's View |

Syed Mir, Chairman
Beginning in 2010, the U.S. federal government launched a series of My Data initiatives, including the Green Button Initiative, to empower consumers with easy and secure access to their own personal data, which includes their Green Button energy usage data.  The U.S. federal government continues to be an enabler of personal data access  initiatives.  Utilities and service providers are also working to engage with their customers, provide their customers with access to their energy usage data, administer energy efficiency programs, and meet increasing regulatory requirements.  Vendors are developing and delivering powerful business and customer solutions that require secure access to customer data in a standard format─specifically what the Green Button standard was designed to enable.
This month we feature founding member Silver Spring Networks, Inc. in our "Member Spotlight."  Read below how Silver Spring's engagement portal, CustomerIQ, uses Green Button Download My Data and how its SilverLink™  Data Platform collects and manages connected device data, while enabling an open ecosystem of applications and can also provide a Green Button Connect My Data interface. 
 
Members of the Green Button Alliance also continue to make security and smart grid customer data privacy a priority and are voluntarily adopting the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)  DataGuard Energy Data Privacy Program which should help to further consumer awareness and assurance─as well as choice and consent.
As the energy industry continues to transform globally, utilities, energy service providers, vendors, and connected customers are increasingly requiring secure access to open, reliable customer energy usage data─made available through standards-based technology such as Green Button.
An energy-efficient future needs us today.  We look forward to working with you.
─Syed Mir
Member Spotlight | 
Silver Spring Networks
Silver Spring Networks, Inc. has a long history of providing networking solutions for critical infrastructure, with over 22 million devices connected for utilities and cities on five continents.  Since the early advanced metering infrastructure deployments in North America, Silver Spring has been helping its utility customers gain insights from interval data from meters and distribution devices across their customer footprints.  Over the years, it has become clear that data access is the key to realizing the maximum benefit out of these smart grid investments.
Silver Spring and Green Button
Silver Spring's CustomerIQ engagement portal, an application that uses smart meter and billing data to educate customers about their energy usage, gives consumers the ability to download their energy data.  CustomerIQ's data download uses Green Button Download My Data.
Silver Spring then launched the SilverLink™ Data Platform with the goal of helping utilities cope with massively increasing heaps of data as new sensor technology drives increasing data granularity.  Simultaneously, there are growing demands for new applications and business processes based on the promise of ubiquitous connected data sources.  Traditional hardware, software, and organizational boundaries are moving quickly.  Requirements for real-time and mobile operations are increasing; as are the number of software vendors turning data into insights.
The SilverLink Data Platform is designed to process and store the vast array of data produced by these new connected devices and sensors.  It also enables easy app development and integrations via standard APIs.  The SilverLink Data Platform collects data from connected devices, organizes it in one place, and prevents unnecessary integration pains; while maintaining an open ecosystem of applications available through the SilverLink App Store .  Silver Spring Networks is committed to helping manage the transformation toward the highly connected data-driven utility infrastructure of the future.
Looking Forward
The motivation behind building the SilverLink Data Platform is very closely aligned with the objectives of the Green Button initiative: to facilitate data access in a standardized manner and provide application enablement, while maintaining security as a primary goal. In addition to data storage, processing, and access for utility analytics, the SilverLink Data Platform can also provide a Green Button Connect My Data interface.   As a longstanding supporter of open standards, interoperability, and putting security first, Silver Spring Networks is proud to be a part of the Green Button Alliance.

Member News | 

Chai Energy's  mobile app for iOS collects Green Button energy usage data directly from a customer's utility and informs them of how much electricity they're using, how much it'll cost, and provides a full range of personalized energy conservation and efficiency tips.  Chai Energy recently announced the Chai Solar feature that analyzes a customer's energy usage and local weather patterns to determine if installing solar panels will save customers additional money.  Chai users can also upgrade to the Chai Energy Pro , an energy gateway that collects real-time utility data from a user's smart meter.  Chai recently opened a public pilot program in California; read about it here .
UtilityAPI , a enterprise software company that provides solar, storage, and energy management professionals with simple access to energy usage data, has  adopted  the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)  DataGuard Energy Data Privacy Program .  DataGuard, a voluntary code of conduct, establishes a framework for common practices that protect the access, use, and sharing of customer data; and provides residential and commercial consumers with assurance their energy data are being protected and treated responsibly.  UtilityAPI and the Green Button Alliance are proud supporters of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's (MassCEC) 5th Annual Boston Cleanweb Hackathon to be held April 1-3, 2016.
WattzOn , based in Mountain View, California, provides  utility data connections, energy analytics, and web and mobile tools  that enable people and communities across the U.S. ─in all 50 states─ to save energy and money.  WattzOn's cloud-based brand-customizable  platform  provides automated access to utility data for more than 200 electric and gas utilities nationwide, helping communities to serve their residents and business partners to provide a single user experience in multiple locations.  WattzOn is an early adopter of the Department of Energy's (DOE)  DataGuard Energy Data Privacy Protection Program.
In the headlines...

This recent blog by Open Energy Efficiency LLC, "Efficiency is a Resource, Data is the Fuel," explains energy efficiency is a grid resource and a business opportunity for the energy industry.  Green Button Alliance member PG&E's new Share My Data 2.0 based on Green Button Connect My Data is highlighted.
More Than Smart and Mission:data Coalition's recent "Got Data? The Value of Energy Data Access to Consumers" report details benefits of consumer access to their energy data.
Events & Activities | 
Green Button Alliance
The Green Button Alliance is in process of enhancing its  web site  and has moved to the MemberClicks platform ─a dditional features and functionality coming soon!
The recent 7th-annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer was held February 22-24 in Austin, Texas. Green Button Alliance members Martha Amram, founder and CEO of WattzOn, and Daniel Roesler, co-founder and CTO of UtilityAPI, joined other experts in a highly informative discussion on the "Unlocking the Value of Energy Usage Data" panel.  Barry Haaser, executive director of the Green Button Alliance, presented on the "Interoperability, Integration, and Energy Management" panel for the OpenADR Alliance.
What's next?
The 2016 Open Data Roundtables
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Center for Open Data Enterprise will co-host four Open Data Roundtables in 2016.  The Roundtables will bring together participants from federal agencies, academia, the private sector, and nonprofit organizations to identify case studies, lessons learned and best practices in open data across the federal government.  The first 2016 Open Data Roundtable, Protecting Privacy,  will be held March 24, 2016.
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), in pa rtnership with Greentown Labs, will host the  5th Annual Boston Cleanweb Hackathon  from April 1-3, 2016.  The two-day technology challenge invites participants to compete to create user-friendly web and mobile applications designed to help consumers and businesses use energy and natural resources more efficiently.  Cash and prizes will be awarded to the winners.  For more information and to register for the event, click here . 
The Green Button Community Call #5
 
The Green Button Community Call #5 will be hosted by the  MaRS Discovery District (MaRSDD) Advanced Energy Centre and will be held May 19th, 2016 at 3:00 pm ET (20:00 UTC).  Register  here  to be notified of the call details/agenda.

Kind regards,
 
Barry Haaser, Executive Director
Jeremy J. Roberts, General Manager
Donald F. Coffin, Technical Manager
Valdis Hellevik, PR Manager