An energy use interactivity company is changing how and when consumers use energy.

The San Francisco-based OhmConnect bridges the gap between consumers and the energy sector by paying users to cut their electricity use during high demand times and shifting use to low demand times. Doing so improves resiliency on the electric grid.

OhmConnect Co-founder Matt Duesterberg shared the company’s approach at a California Energy Commission talk in March.

OhmConnect’s program was developed with help from a grant from the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC), which funds energy innovation research.

“What I’m really excited about is what the CEC has done in the past to build this kind of foundation for renewable future,” Duesterberg said, “Not only are they [consumers] engaged, but they’re doing so in a really exciting and fun manner.”

Duesterberg said OhmConnect provides a smart energy network to home residents and pays them in points, cash prizes, and other rewards.

Participants receive a text or email notifying them to save energy for a specified portion of the day and unplug. Some have even shut off their circuit breakers during the energy savings events, which are called OhmHour events.

The company expanded from the energy industry to the general public, growing from 70,000 users in 2016 before the Energy Commission grant to nearly 500,000 users now. OhmConnect has since shifted from a grant-based model to an open-market model, Duesterberg said.

A primary goal of OhmConnect is to provide meaningful efficiency for consumers to engage with the grid and green energy consumption. Money is the largest driver of OhmConnect participation. Competing against others and helping with climate change are other reasons.

Since full commissioning in July 2017, the Blue Lake Rancheria microgrid continues to deliver stacked benefits to the tribal community and the Humboldt County region, which includes the ancestral territory of the Wiyot people.

"This project shows the type of leadership and partnership that can advance California's climate and renewable energy goals, help transform our energy system and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said California Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas.

In 2015, the microgrid received a $5 million grant from the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which is an energy innovation funding program. In 2018, a project adjacent to the Blue Lake Rancheria microgrid received $1.85 million in EPIC funding from the Energy Commission’s Solar+ solicitation, which includes demonstrations of facility-scale solar and storage projects.

“I can’t underscore enough the importance of research, development, and deployment programs that are prioritized by the California Energy Commission like EPIC,” said Jana Ganion, sustainability and government affairs director at the Rancheria. “These investments have rapidly advanced technology and applications, which is resulting in financially and operationally successful transitions to zero-carbon energy.”

With technical support from the Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University, the natural disaster-prone reservation now has a constant source of reliable energy, independent of the larger grid.

Using small-scale electrical systems such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and batteries, the microgrid generates 420 kilowatts of solar PV to supply its government office, event center, casino/hotel, emergency facilities, and other infrastructure. The community saved more than $160,000 in electricity costs in 2018, increased clean energy related jobs by 10 percent, and reduced carbon dioxide emission equivalent by around 200 tons a year.

The microgrid is also used as a learning lab for students of all ages. Students at Humboldt State University have researched many aspects of microgrid, including the current social and battery storage expansion, said Ganion. “These students inform what we implement, which is exciting for us and for the students to see their hard work come to fruition."

Throughout project development, the Rancheria overcame integration and communication challenges between utilities, vendors, and the microgrid. The Hula Community Park and Toma Resilience Campus are two follow-on projects in development that the microgrid will power. Hula means water and Toma means sun in the Wiyot language.

The park will be an outdoor venue with synthetic turf playing fields and other outdoor amenities. The 20,000-square-foot campus will include a business incubator, makerspaces, small manufacturing facilities, a commercial kitchen, a training/event venue, and a retail store for emergency supplies. The facility will help attract more decarbonized resilience programs, trainings, and innovation to the region.

Photo courtesy of Siemens USA.

A panel of researchers and business leaders at the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) symposium discussed how improved storage technology could help speed the state’s transition to a clean energy future.

The Feb. 19 event at the Sacramento Convention Center drew more than 800 people, including industry leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The symposium showcased projects funded through EPIC, an energy innovation funding program established in 2011.

Lithium-ion batteries are the market leader in energy storage technologies, driven largely by the growth of consumer electronics and electric vehicles. However, the batteries rely on materials with future supply issues, has a history of thermal management issues, and does not have a documented long-term performance history beyond five years. These issues raise concerns about whether lithium-ion is the best fit to meet the all expected global demand for energy storage.

California must diversify energy storage options to help create a smarter grid, said Byron Washom, director of strategic energy initiatives at the University of California, San Diego.

“I can’t emphasize the importance of research and development,” Washom said.

Moderator Edward Randolph, deputy executive director of energy and climate policy at the California Public Utilities Commission, asked panelists how their technologies provide an alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

Eos Energy Storage offers a zinc hybrid cathode battery under the trademark name Zynth. Zynth is an aqueous, zinc-based battery technology that is nonflammable, fully recyclable and cost effective, said Philippe Bouchard, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Eos.

Eos received Energy Commission funding for two energy storage projects. The location for the project that tests a distribution level application has not been determined, while the project for a residential and small commercial application will be tested at UC San Diego.

Bouchard said the EPIC program funds made a difference in the technology growth for his company.

“With the support, our concept and prototypes have developed into manufactured products that will continue to improve the way California stores energy,” he said.

Sulfur is a byproduct of oil refineries. Molten sulfur can be used for thermal energy storage, help reduce fuel waste, and is cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, said Richard Wirz, chief scientist and co-founder of Element 16.

In 2012, the Energy Commission funded a project involving Wirz and his team at UC Los Angeles that demonstrated sulfur as a low-cost thermal energy storage fluid, which proved to be effective and durable, he said.

Rick Winters, CEO of UniEnergy Technologies, talked about his company’s vanadium flow batteries, which outlast and outperform the leading lithium technologies that degrade 15 to 20 percent over a year. Flow batteries use aqueous electrolytes that are non-flammable and non-reactive with water, making it safer than lithium-ion batteries, which have caused fires, Winters said.

Laurence Abcede, manager of distributed energy resources at San Diego Gas & Electric, discussed a vanadium redox flow battery storage project at the company’s San Miguel Substation in South San Diego County. The demonstration project, which is a collaboration with Sumitomo Electric and New Energy and Industrial Technology Organization (NEDO), is testing the technology for its ability to enhance grid reliability, integrate more renewable energy and increase flexibility in grid operations.

Entrepreneurs can expect abundant rewards and challenges when pursuing innovation, according to a panel of clean energy leaders at the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) symposium.

The Feb. 19 event at the Sacramento Convention Center drew more than 800 people, including industry leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The symposium showcased projects funded through EPIC, an energy innovation funding program established in 2011.

A session on survival tips for entrepreneurs featured EPIC-funded entrepreneurs, who provided advice and discussed their challenges and lessons learned while building their businesses.

San Francisco-based Sunfolding used an EPIC grant to develop a unique solar tracker that is less expensive, more reliable, and simpler to operate and maintain than other trackers.

Leila Madrone, chief technology officer and founder of Sunfolding, described the collaborative nature of clean energy. In her early career, she said was enraptured by the hero’s journey, or the tech start-up ideal of a rogue individual changing the world.

Panel moderator Danielle Applestone agreed with Madrone. Applestone was an executive-in-residence at the Cyclotron Road Fellowship Program, which received EPIC funds for its efforts to help innovators turn their ideas from concepts to a viable first product.

“It’s no longer one rogue hero – it’s a team,” Applestone said, who is CEO and co-founder of Daughters of Rosie, an organization that fosters the careers of women in automation.

Panelists cautioned others to be prepared for rejection, but to persist in their goals. Cyclotron Road fellow Tim Latimer said investors that reject an idea are often not the right fit for the company.

“You don’t have to convince everyone at all times that your idea is the right one,” said Latimer, co-founder of Berkeley-based Fervo Energy, which is developing enhanced systems to generate more energy from geothermal sources.

Madrone said she encountered skepticism when she appeared at her first panel representing Sunfolding. Big, transformative ideas will often draw disapproval from 80 percent of people. Those pursuing innovation need to look for the 20 percent that will champion the ideas, she said.

For many panelists, their businesses required balancing planning and action, along with quality and costs.

Securing funding was also a top concern. Some panelists described the struggles of venturing into new technological terrain, and relying on grants to fund their work because some investors want short-term returns on their investments.

A March 5 application deadline is nearing for grant funds from the California Energy Commission’s Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program (REAP).

The program provides funds for projects in the agricultural sector that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and serve low-income and disadvantaged communities.

Agriculture, which is an important sector in California’s economy, is vulnerable to climate change and is a known greenhouse gas contributor.

Nearly $10 million in funds is available to install renewable energy technology resulting in a net greenhouse gas reduction benefit. The money can be used for equipment, installation costs from third-party licensed contractors, and site preparation.

Applications for REAP must be submitted to the Energy Commission by 5 p.m. on March 5. Additional information can be found here.

Photo courtesy of PowWow Energy.