Going 100% Renewable Needs More Storage

Going 100% Renewable Needs More Storage

Feb 5, 2020

Much of the attention in Clean Energy these days goes to consumer products and energy generation. This is well deserved because the contribution to global warming energy generation has made and consumers wanting to learn more about how to reduce their impact. The complicated reality of going to 100% renewables is not just energy generation or changing our lifestyles but also updating the grid and adding storage to it. Storage is things like Lithium-ion Batteries, SPIN’s flywheel, and pumped hydro.

 In passing SB 100 the State Government made California a world leader with an ambitious goal to operate 100% on renewables by 2045.  Successes in solar, utility-scale and rooftop we have reduced our emissions but also changed the energy demand profile of the electric grid. A perfect example of this is the duck curve of energy demand.  The complications of meeting energy supply and demand is a very real obstacle in maintaining grid reliability as we move to 100% renewables. To manage an ever more complex grid we need storage.

 Policies contributing to the success of solar should be expanded to promote storage.  We are seeing the California Energy Commission invest in the commercialization of more storage projects and companies like Electrify America are investing in grid storage to avoid impact cost of Electric Vehicle Chargers on the grid.  But we can do more. Net Metering, the policies that helped build a fledgling rooftop solar industry, needs to be adopted to promote home storage solutions. Like the early adopters of EVs and Solar, we need to incentivize private investment in storage. There are companies like Empower Energy and Off the Wall Energy, who are gearing up to provide small storage solutions to business and residential companies.  

 Supporting the 100% Renewables in California to fight climate change means supporting Storage.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas is the Executive Director of CleanStart. Thomas has a strong background in supporting small businesses, leadership, financial management and is proficient in working with nonprofits. He has a BS in Finance and a BA in Economics from California State University, Chico. Thomas has a passion for sustainability and a commitment to supporting non-profits in the region.

Sponsors

SMUD
CMC
RiverCity Bank

Weintraub | Tobin, Revrnt, Moss Adams, PowerSoft.biz, Greenberg Traurig

Opportunity Knocks! Find Out How Feb. 12

Opportunity Knocks! Find Out How Feb. 12

Feb 4, 2020

On February 28 CalSEED is opening the window for accepting 2020 applications for their $150,000 Phase I grants for proof of concept from early stage startups.  This is a golden opportunity to get funding.  It is not a loan and not a sale of shares.  It’s a grant, and no matching funds are required. Interested?

We are hosting a workshop for companies to learn more details about the application process.  There will be two sessions held Feb. 12 at Hacker Lab; Rocklin will hold one at 1:30 pm and Sacramento will be in the evening starting at 6:00 pm.  Put it on your calendar and RSVP below. CalSEED will be looking to fund 6-7 companies from the Central Valley, so prospects are good.  Don’t miss out.

This funding opportunity is designed for early stage startups working on clean energy anywhere in California. CalSEED is open to any California based individual, group, company or organization with an early stage innovation. Don’t forget to familiarize yourself with the Application Manual before applications open. Visit calseed.fund/apply for more details. #CalSEED2020

This CalSEED Concept Award provides promising innovators not only with $150,000 in grant funding, but also unprecedented professional development resources and access to California’s best accelerators and incubator programs! Phase 1 Award winners are also eligible for an additional $450,000 in Phase 2 to advance their ideas.  

Powered by New Energy Nexus and its mission to create a 100% clean energy economy for 100% of the population, CalSEED supports diverse entrepreneurs who deliver equitable outcomes from their cleantech innovations.  CalSEED is made possible by the California Energy Commission and funded through the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC).

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Visions of the Mobility System of the Future

Visions of the Mobility System of the Future

Feb 3, 2020

Our January 30th MeetUp explored all the innovations being tried in the region to improve our mobility options. We where hosted by Frontier Energy at the California Fuel Cell Partnership.  Every one of the 67 chairs was full and a standing crowd spilled out into the lobby of the Fuel Cell Partnership building on Industrial Boulevard in West Sacramento.  Little wonder. We had an all-star set of presenters for the night—West Sac Mayor Chris Cabaldon, SMUD CEO Arlen Orchard, Sacramento’s Chief Innovation Officer Louis Stewart, and Sac State Transportation Engineering Professor Ghazan Khan.  We started with Prof. Khan describing his autonomous vehicle project on campus, using the “Olli” shuttles from Local Motors in Arizona. It was a limited test, with the self-driving shuttles only used on-campus, off city streets. The real gain would come if the shuttles could be used to gather up students from remote parking lots or from light rail.  Then congestion on campus would be potentially significantly reduced. But one step at a time. Interestingly, one of the common comments of riders during the test was a desire for the shuttles to go faster. They were limited to 5-10 mph. Nothing changed human nature to get to class at the last minute—and look for shortcuts.

Next we turned to a panel discussion to explore what the mobility system in our region might look like in ten years—and most importantly what opportunities it may create for creative entrepreneurs.  The Mayor made a strong point about the shared-ride pilot project West Sac has had with VIA and RT since November 2017. He said the most intriguing result is how it improved mobility for residents who were off the regular RT routes and for whom Uber/Lyft were too expensive.  Riders are charged $2.50 each way in West Sac ($1.25 for seniors and disabled). Users can schedule a ride, get to a nearby pickup point and be dropped off near their destination. Users were able to cut the time to get to and from a grocery from an hour to minutes. One user said for the first time in years she was able to buy ice cream.  Before VIA it melted before she could get it home. She could exercise at a pool facility she otherwise could not enjoy. In that way, this modest addition to the mobility system has had a truly transformative effect on people’s lives. The VIA system was adopted in January 2020 by Sacramento in large parts of the city growing the service dramatically.

Does anyone have an idea how to do this better?  Anyone have an idea for an app that would make the dispatch of vehicles more efficient?

Arlen and Chris commented on challenges with how the charger network will evolve in the next decade.  Just doing “more of the same”—growing the public charger system from 1000 to 10,000 units is probably not practical logistically or economically.  Will there be more ultrafast DC chargers? Where will be the least problematic place to put them on the grid? What would the addition of on-site battery storage as a buffer to do increase the number of good sites?  How can data be analyzed to tell where on the grid will be the best place to have storage? How can ultra-fast chargers be installed without having a lot of negative consequences? Arlen also mentioned the push behind a new Mobility Center in the area, supported by SMUD, Sac State, GSAC and the city.  Good news for innovators—the plan is to have a $100 million mobility innovation fund to underwrite new companies here.

Louis talked about efforts to make Sacramento a city that would welcome a lot experimentation in mobility innovation.  Already RT is talking about electrifying its bus fleet and even managing electric vehicle fleets for others. Maybe we would have a “zone” where autonomous vehicles would be allowed.  He was also concerned about making the jump to new solutions too quickly, without looking at the consequences. He wanted innovation to be part of the city’s identity, emphasizing connectivity, shared data, more choices, and a focus not on technology itself but on how people’s needs are better met through innovation.  

We recorded the entire sessions and it is worth the time to view it all.  When it is available, we will send out a link.  

Our next MeetUp is February 27 and will have a focus on storage.  Be looking for our announcement.

Thomas Hall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gary Simon is the Chair of CleanStarts Board. A seasoned energy executive and entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in business, government, and non-profits.

CleanStart Sponsors

Weintraub | Tobin, EY, Stoel Rives 

BlueTech Valley, PowerSoft.biz

College of Engineering & Computer Science at Sacramento State

Congratulations Waterhound Futures and VerifiH20!

Congratulations Waterhound Futures and VerifiH20!

Jan 27, 2020

Congratulations to Waterhound Futures and Verifi H2O, who both took the top prizes at The Water Council’s Tech Challenge.  Both completed CleanStart’s CEO Crash Course last fall.

Both got recognized for being leaders innovating water technology claiming the top prize money.  The recognition is well deserved.   

 

Full Press Release:

A. O. SMITH CORPORATION, BADGER METER AND ZURN INDUSTRIES SELECT TWO OUTSTANDING WATER TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS AMONG 22 APPLICATIONS FROM NINE COUNTRIES

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (January 27, 2020) – The Water Council, with its supporting corporate sponsors, has announced the winners for the second round of the Tech Challenge. This round focused on Innovative solutions for inline sensors that detect water quality parameters and artificial intelligence for pipe networks and systems. 

The Tech Challenge program augments corporate open innovation channels and identifies emerging freshwater technologies and ideas with a high potential for commercialization. Throughout the year, several topics of interest are identified by corporate sponsors, which are then posted as open Tech Challenges and promoted globally. Selected finalists have an opportunity to meet in-person with sponsors for a chance to win prize money, gain access to corporate R&D resources and potentially partner with a corporate sponsor on the development of the technology or idea. 

“This round attracted 22 applications from nine countries, of which 80 percent weren’t already on the radar for our sponsor companies,” said Karen Frost, vice president of economic development at The Water Council. “That is exactly what the Tech Challenge is designed to do for our sponsors – build pipeline.” The innovations chosen as Tech Challenge winners are: 

Verifi H2O – An innovative water-monitoring platform delivering real-time water quality surveillance systems based on proprietary, advanced material technologies that rapidly detect pathogens and other contaminants, while providing customers with reliable information to make time-sensitive decisions. 

Waterhound Futures – A predictive modelling and analytics solution, which simulates water and wastewater treatment plants to provide actionable insight to operators, engineers and management. 

Commenting on the value of the program, “Badger Meter owes its success to a long history of water technology innovation,” noted Dan Fellers, manager, research & development at Badger Meter. “We are confident the quality and diversity of ideas that flow from the Tech Challenge will help fuel the solutions of tomorrow.” 

The Tech Challenge is designed to build additional pathways for corporate R&D teams beyond conventional channels. Rebecca Tallon, engineering director – water treatment at A. O. Smith Corporation, adds, “Our participation in the program widens our access to innovators who have ideas but haven’t explored marketing their solutions through traditional channels yet, so it’s been a valuable way to extend our R&D efforts for innovations that would have taken much longer to find on our own.” 

In addition to augmenting R&D pathways, the Tech Challenge program also drives deal flow opportunities in targeted topics of interest. “AI is an emerging topic, so we’re interested in innovations in that specific area as part of our connected products strategy,” said Glen Trickle, director of engineering at Zurn. “This Challenge, we were pleasantly surprised by the volume of qualified AI applications, along with other solutions that we’re continuing to explore.” 

Tech Challenge applications were accepted from Sept. 6 – Nov. 3, 2019. The next round of Tech Challenge topics will be announced March 2020. 

About A. O. Smith
A. O. Smith Corporation, with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis., is a global leader applying innovative technology and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a leading manufacturer of water treatment products.

About Badger Meter
Badger Meter is a leading innovator, manufacturer and marketer of flow measurement and control products, serving water and gas utilities, municipalities and industrial customers worldwide. Measuring a variety of liquids — from water to oil and lubricants in commercial processes — products from Badger Meter are known for accuracy, durability and the ability to provide valuable and timely measurement information. For more information, visit www.badgermeter.com.

About Zurn Industries
Zurn Industries, LLC, a Rexnord company, is a recognized leader in commercial, municipal, healthcare and industrial markets. Zurn offers the largest breadth of engineered water solutions, including a wide spectrum of sustainable plumbing products. Zurn delivers total building solutions for new construction and retrofit applications that enhance any building’s environment. For more information, visit Zurn.com or RexnordCorp.com.

About The Water Council
Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA next to the world’s largest freshwater system and home to one of the most influential freshwater technology hubs in the world, The Water Council (TWC) is recognized as a global center for advancing water technologies and stewardship. At its heart, TWC is a non-profit, membership organization that connects, convenes and showcases the hub comprised of more than 238 water technology businesses and the diverse water leadership network of 200 members it is linked to from around the world. While TWC’s mission is centered on driving economic development, attracting and connecting world-class talent and supporting water-focused technology innovation, its larger goal is to help secure freshwater resources for the world by driving solutions to the numerous industries that need and use a large amount of water. Learn more by visiting www.thewatercouncil.com.

Local Startup Empow Lighting among 6 to get Phase 2 CalSEED awards

Local Startup Empow Lighting among 6 to get Phase 2 CalSEED awards

Jan 23, 2020

Congratulations to Sergey Vasilyev and his team for a big win for Empow and its CoreGlo LED replacement product for existing fluorescent luminaires.  Empow is the first company in our region to advance to Phase 2.

Nice win! If you want more details on this product, Sergey was one of the presenters at our December 4 Connex Investor Night and we have a video of it on our Youtube Channel.  Maxout Renewables from Livermore was another winner, and we have a video of them at the same event. Other winners were Stasis Group, In-Pipe Energy, GenH and SkyCool Systems.  We hope to have some of these at our future Connex events. Watch for the announcements.

The CalSEED Press Release on the awards can be viewed here.