The Tendril Connect Platform Application Developer Program will allow developers to construct on Tendril's platform for energy management and services for both utilities and consumers which is able to reach 70 million households connected to the smart grid, according to Tendril.
Launched 2 yrs ago, Tendril's platform already includes a range of companies from ThinkEco to Siemens that make use of the platform. The company also offers compatible hardware in the form of smart thermostats and communication tools to visit with its existing software products, as well as those made by designers.
As part of its effort to expose the platform to more designers, Tendril is co-sponsoring the Cleanweb Hackathon September 10-11 in San Francisco, by which it will provide its platform APIs and a data set to individuals.
Several known companies have already committed to participating, including Dynamo, one from the first start-ups to get funding from Facebook's fbFund.
"Developing on the Tendril Connect cloud platform implies that, with a single application, a developer can leapfrog seven years of deep integration work to provide it immediately. The app will be deployable across all major meter infrastructures, open up and proprietary communication protocols, utility back-office environments, numerous operating systems like Google android and iOS, and a potentially limitless number of user touch points as well as devices, " said in a statement.
Such an accessible platform means that numerous developers could quickly have access to a lot of utilities and customers using a wide variety of devices and services, hence opening up lots of market competition (and hopefully innovation) for the energy management industry.
Creating a common platform for energy management and services is actually a win-win for both the platform developer as well as utilities and energy providers, and obviously Tendril, if several recent reports on the industry are used into view.
Smart-grid data analytics services are expected to generate $4. two billion in annual revenue by 2015. That's because it's the priority of the utility to collect and analyze usage data from smart grids, since it's an immediate and direct impact on how it manages energy, according to some report released in December 2010 by Pike Research.
The Institute for Electric Efficiency also released a study in July that found energy management and smart grid infrastructure success is basically dependent on consumer cooperation and participation. Consumer participation is more likely when consumers have a user interface that's easily accessible and use.
Recent investments in various energy platforms, as well as particular software, also confirm the trend. Johnson Controls bought Energy Connect for $32. 3 zillion, Honeywell acquired Akuacom, and Siemens, which also uses Tendril, acquired Site Regulates.
Tendril is backed by GE, Good Energies, RRE Ventures, and VantagePoint Endeavor Partners.