Virtual Peaker & Armada Power Announce Fully Integrated APIs

Integration Creates Easy, Affordable Solution for Utilities to Upgrade Standard Water Heaters to Smart Devices

Louisville, KY and Columbus, OH – Virtual Peaker, a cloud-based SaaS company empowering modern utilities with the friendliest distributed energy platform on the planet, and Armada Power, an innovative grid resource company that controls standard electric resistance water heaters to serve as an energy storage and grid resilience resource without compromising the availability of hot water, have integrated their technologies to easily and cost-effectively transform the second-largest residential energy load device—water heaters—into low-carbon energy storage assets.

The Virtual Peaker / Armada Power application programming interface (API) integration makes it much easier for utilities to scale their water heater DERMS initiatives. Water heater controllers are affordable, easy-to-install after-market items that allow standard units to be upgraded to smart water heaters. The new partnership integrates the Virtual Peaker platform via the open spec Gravity Connect API with Armada Power’s DR API, enabling Virtual Peaker to seamlessly communicate with any Armada Power device that has an internet connection.

Virtual Peaker and Armada Power have previous experience working together. In March 2022 they helped to launch a pilot program with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and other partners called WatterSaver, which is slated to be the largest program of its kind in the United States. WatterSaver is expected to optimize 5,000-9,000 residential water heaters and provide up to 2.5 megawatts of peak-load reduction by the end of 2025.

“The new partnership between Virtual Peaker and Armada Power creates a number of synergies: our two companies don’t need to integrate each time we want to roll out a new device, utilities can quickly get more devices under control to scale up and make their programs more effective, and residential consumers can avoid buying expensive water heaters yet still participate in DER programs that lead to a more sustainable planet,” said Virtual Peaker Founder & CEO, Dr. William (Bill) Burke. “We’re looking forward to deepening our relationship with the talented team at Armada Power and our shared utility clients.”

“Armada Power and Virtual Peaker have a great partnership. We have a shared mission in transforming the power grid to support reliable, zero-carbon energy sources. Our ability to store energy in fleets of water heaters combined with the Virtual Peaker platform creates the perfect product for utility operators,” said Armada Power President Timothy (T.J.) Harper. 

About Virtual Peaker

Virtual Peaker is a cloud-based distributed energy company that empowers modern utilities to build the grid of the future and meet global decarbonization goals. The SaaS company’s platform suites unify all aspects of DER management, from DERMS to customer engagement and load forecasting. Virtual Peaker is a remote-first company that currently employs more than 45 people in various locations across the United States. Thanks to a recent $16.6 million venture funding round led by global technology and sustainability investors, Virtual Peaker is expanding its support for forward-thinking utilities that can lead the transformation to a more sustainable electric grid. For more information, visit www.virtual-peaker.com and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter (@VirtualPeaker).

About Armada Power

Armada Power is a technology and software company that incorporates behind-the-meter, thermal storage technology into a secure platform that allows for millisecond grid response for demand, circuit, voltage, and load controls. Armada Power avoids high-carbon generation sources in real time by soaking up excess renewable energy on the grid, effectively transforming the second largest residential energy load device into a zero-carbon storage asset. Follow the company on LinkedIn or Twitter (@PowerArmada). For more information on Armada Power, visit www.armadapower.com or contact Paul Lekan.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Virtual Peaker:
Mark Ray | mark@markrayassociates.com | 802-355-0145
Amber Mullaney | amullaney@virtual-peaker.com | 502-689-0249

Armada Power:  David Myers | dmyers@armadapower.com | 614-918-7493