UC San Diego Receives $1.8 million for microgrid research

In a press release last week, reported by Electric Light & Power, the University of California, San Diego discussed its grant from the California Energy Commission that will allow it to expand its microgrid projects, helping provide data on the large-scale use of microgrids.

The commission also approved $1.6 million in funding to advance development of UC San Diego's pioneering microgrid, an increase of its previously awarded funding of $1,394,298 for the university's electric microgrid. The university is providing an additional $1,525,000 in match funding. These funds will be invested, in part, in analyzing multiple stand-alone energy storage technologies to further improve the microgrid.

The microgrid at UC San Diego serves a campus community of more than 45,000 people, and generates more than 90 percent of the electricity used on campus annually. The university saves more than $800,000 in power costs per month because of its microgrid. The project has also spurred investment: The nearly $4 million that the Energy Commission has invested in the microgrid since 2008 has been leveraged to garner more than $4 million from other funding sources, public and private.

New jobs and new opportunities are coming to California through the UC San Diego microgrid and electric vehicle charging projects.

To learn more about the project, visit http://www.elp.com/news/2013/01/12/california-energy-commission-awards-more-than-1-8-million-for-uc-san-diego-microgrid-projects.html