Easily Manage Complex, Dynamic Grid Services Programs with Leap’s Universal API

March 21, 2023

Shaun Tamblin, Technical Solutions Manager

As new batteries, smart thermostats, building management systems, EV chargers and other electrified technologies are installed at an ever-accelerating pace, technology providers have new opportunities to generate revenue by connecting those distributed energy resources (DERs) to the grid.

However, the path to accessing that revenue is rarely straightforward. There are hundreds of different grid services programs across the different U.S. energy markets, each with their own operational requirements, regulations and integrations required to participate. Many DER technology providers are well-positioned to tap into grid services revenue streams, but would need to devote significant development resources and program management staffing to navigate the different requirements.

Cutting through the complexity

Leap’s API makes it easy for technology providers to cut through this complexity to quickly build and scale new revenue opportunities through grid services. Our Universal API provides many advantages:

• Automation across every step of the customer journey: authorizing and enrolling new meters, ongoing meter management, bidding, dispatching and analytics

• Turnkey access to programs and markets: integrate once and then access new revenue streams in different markets

• Streamline operations: a single API reduces development time and eliminates multiple manual processes

• Improve performance: decrease the potential for missed dispatches and human errors

• Increase revenue: through improved performance as well as access to real-time energy markets

Using our comprehensive technical implementation guides and API reference documentation, Leap partners are able to expedite development cycles, completing development, testing and release within a few weeks.

Recent updates

Recently, we've opened up new automation use cases and made it easier for partners to use the Leap API:

• Expanded API support for Leap Connect. Partners can now track the status of meter connections through the API and improve conversions by automating follow-up for customers who have started but not completed the Leap Connect and utility authorization process. View the Connect overview developer guide for more details.

• Enhanced meter metadata. Updates to the meter metadata available through the API make it easier to sync meters and track changes. This includes a last-modified request parameter, as well as program name, enrollment periods and more added to each meter response. We’ve also made it easier to identify when a meter requires a partner action to be taken. Read the meter management developer guide for additional information.

• Additional authentication options. In addition to login-based temporary authentication tokens, partners can now create and manage their own API keys, making it easier to authenticate to Leap API endpoints.

Coming soon, we will be releasing API analytics endpoints to include event performance metrics and interval load and baseline data. These updates will help partners understand event performance during the high-revenue summer season.

The Leap API offers partners an easy-to-use, turnkey, scalable solution for accessing energy markets. To learn more about new capabilities or how you can get started with our API, get in touch with me at shaun@leap.energy.