The IslandDER meter collar device from CONNECTOR is approved for use by Arizona’s three largest utilities: Arizona Public Service (APS), Tucson Electrical Power (TEP), and Salt River Project (SRP).
This announcement builds on existing Arizona support for ConnectDER’s devices wherever the company operates Connection adapter for solar meter has already been adopted by all three utilities and Sulfur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC), with high usage by installers across the state. The company EV meter connection adapter is currently approved for use within the APS and TEP service area. IslandDER now offers additional benefits to installers as the state transitions to a storage-first model. These approvals streamline the installation process of distributed energy resources (DERs), helping installers save costs and timelines.
ConnectDER’s plug-and-play meter connection adapters, or meter collars, simplify residential DER connections by connecting directly to the outdoor meter connection. This innovation avoids the need for laborious main panel upgrades, full-service replacements or circuit relocations – all of which lead to lost revenue and scheduling issues for installers and higher costs for end customers. By removing these hurdles, crews can complete more jobs per week, while homeowners can save thousands of dollars on unexpected electrical costs and drywall repairs, with less disruption to their daily lives.
“Arizona has always been a leader in solar energy, and the next frontier is storage,” said Ivo Steklac, President and CEO of ConnectDER. “We commend the state, APS, SRP and TEP for their foresight in implementing battery-first incentive programs that maintain clean energy momentum even as the federal subsidy landscape changes. Approval of our IslandDER adapter paves the way for residents to more easily access these incentives and ensure energy independence. For our installer partners in the Southwest, IslandDER enables operational efficiencies; we help crews overcome hardware, labor and cost hurdles so they can focus on what they do best: deploying a resilient, storage-backed network at scale.”
Like the third ranked state for residential solar, Arizona is now leveraging its solar abundance to prioritize grid resiliency, with recent battery connection rates reaching estimated levels 47%. This shift is driven in part by homeowners seeking financial stability against rising electricity rates, optimizing time-of-use (TOU) rate plans by tapping into their stored energy, and participating in utility VPPs such as Storage rewards from APS And TEP’s energy storage rewards – offering hundreds of dollars in annual electricity buybacks.
For installers, however, Arizona homes present a distinct technical challenge: meter-main combination receptacles that do not have enough space for essential system components needed for storage and backup power in the home. ConnectDERs IslandDER solves this by integrating a microgrid interconnect device (MID), current transformers (CTs), voltage sensing and communication protocols for real-time disconnection from the grid (“islanding”) into a single, compact device. IslandDER processes complex meter-main combinations in just 15 to 30 minutes without additional electrical work. It works with leading storage systems including FranklinWH, Lunar Energy, SolarEdge and EcoFlow, offering flexible choices for both installers and homeowners.
News item from ConnectDER
