BoxPower Awarded California Energy Commission Grant
GRASS VALLEY, California, October 6, 2020—BoxPower, a provider of modular microgrid energy solutions, has been awarded a $1.2 million dollar grant by the California Energy Commission to further develop its software + hardware solution at 15 microgrid test sites in a diverse range of residential settings across California.
This three-year project under the designation of California Title 24 Advanced Power Utilization Technology, will provide critical insights into energy cost reduction strategies and increased energy resiliency. BoxPower’s work alongside partner, Evergreen Innovations, will seek to drive cost reductions, open new cash flow opportunities for batteries. reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and measure non-energy societal benefits, such as resiliency.
The key issue is the uncertainty of how a microgrid battery asset can be used to cover the initial investment. In the multi-megawatt commercial energy storage space, the latest business models provide multiple cash flow streams for batteries. For example, a battery can optimize financial return by using power stored in the battery during the most expensive time of use rate. Additional cash flow opportunities include frequency regulation and trading in multiple electricity markets.
Angelo Campus, BoxPower CEO and Co-founder notes, “This project is a significant step in California microgrid adoption. We will collect concrete data and identify the best options for developing residential microgrid use and industry standards.”
Customers in the past have used BoxPower’s modular microgrids in disaster relief, medical clinic, agriculture, remote power, and most recently, utility applications. This experience working with utilities will enable BoxPower to bring utility representatives into the research and testing process, ensuring the resulting solution works for all stakeholders.
Utilities have historically been expensive and unreliable in rural areas. BoxPower’s innovative approach to software design and process improvement combined with turnkey hardware and installation methods creates a repeatable and cost effective microgrid. BoxPower and the California Energy Commission look forward to partnering on this project to modernize the California utility grid. Microgrids are part of a move away from large-scale one-size fits all solutions to modern microservice architectures.
Modern Microservice Energy Solutions Offer:
● Distributed control
● Scalability of control
● Interactions between grid stakeholders in ways not previously possible
● Utility, operator and user interfaces
Watch for more news on microgrids as BoxPower begins work on this important California Energy Commission Project.
About the California Energy Commission
The California Energy Commission is transforming buildings through standards and programs for newly constructed and existing buildings. Learn more about the Energy Commission’s building energy efficiency standards, benchmarking programs, efficiency for existing buildings, and resources on how to comply at https://www.energy.ca.gov.
About BoxPower, Inc.
An employee-owned company located in Grass Valley California, BoxPower is a mission-driven social enterprise. BoxPower helps communities, governments, businesses, humanitarian and emergency relief agencies provide energy resilience when power supply from the grid is unavailable or unreliable.
BoxPower’s work has been featured in Fast Company, GreenBiz, and Microgrid Knowledge. BoxPower’s CEO and cofounder, Angelo Campus, was recognized as a Forbes 30 under 30 list maker for 2019. Learn more at BoxPower.io or contact Anderson Barkow co-founder and CFO at [email protected] or Dalan Angelo Director, Business Development at [email protected] 530-802-5477.
