SECO Energy (Sumter Electric Cooperative) – Opeyemi Ijidale – 2025

Summary

Opeyemi Ijidale supported SECO Energy’s load management strategy by validating Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) and Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) program metrics. He developed tools to ensure data accuracy and uncover performance insights, laying the groundwork for grid flexibility, reduced peak energy costs, and more equitable member participation in SECO Energy’s evolving Virtual Power Plant (VPP) initiative.

Goals

The primary goal of the fellowship was to establish a robust framework for validating SECO Energy’s DERMS and CVR programs as the utility began scaling its demand-side management efforts. This included verifying performance dashboards, ensuring metric accuracy, and supporting data-driven strategies for reducing wholesale power costs. Another goal was to identify opportunities to synchronize DER dispatch and CVR events with system peak hours, maximizing avoided cost potential while promoting equitable program participation across SECO Energy’s member base.

Solutions

Opeyemi collaborated with SECO Energy’s Operations, Billing, AMI, IT & Data Analytics teams to understand the flow of data from DER devices to the dashboard and identify logic inconsistencies. He developed validation scripts, KPI trackers, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and a dashboard to ensure accurate reporting of peak demand reductions, device enrollment, and event performance. In the absence of historical DERMS data, he constructed baselines from AMI data to estimate load reduction impacts. He also analyzed CVR event logs and substation-level demand data. His final recommendations included refining dispatch timing, increasing DERMS visibility, and prioritizing member equity in future program outreach.

Potential Impact

Opeyemi’s work provided SECO Energy with a comprehensive validation framework and analytics tools that will enhance the reliability and scalability of its DERMS and CVR programs. His baseline models and performance insights revealed actionable gaps in peak alignment. Insights that, if addressed, could translate to thousands of dollars in avoided demand charges. His contributions laid a strong foundation for VPP integration, helped clarify CVR optimization opportunities, and equipped the utility with actionable strategies for tracking, validating, and scaling grid-interactive programs equitably.