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It pays to help the grid. In California, 265,000 virtual power plant (#VPP) participants have not only prevented blackouts, they’ve earned up to $2 per kWh for doing so. That’s a glimpse of how things will unfold right across the country, thanks to the unbeatable mix of clean energy and EVs. Since it was launched just over two years ago, the California Energy Commission's Demand Side Grid Support has enrolled 515 megawatts of capacity. The VPP has already been activated 16 times this year, helping avoid power crunches in four different heatwaves. > https://lnkd.in/gVRk23-T [Robert Walton | Utility Dive] With VPPs expected to meet 15% of the state’s peak load by 2035, up from 3% today, that could save $755 million in grid costs while cutting everyone’s electricity bills by $550 million. The more power you have on reserve, the more you stand to earn. California now has more than 13 gigawatts of battery storage — yes, that’s with a G, not an M. > https://lnkd.in/dxqtsdde [Andy Colthorpe | Energy-Storage.news] And there’s more coming, especially as EV sales in the US grew by 11% year-over-year in Q3 and reached record highs for both volume and market share. It’s important to think of EVs not as power-hungry beasts but as #batteries on wheels. They can soak up excess #solar power, storing it for later, whether it’s for transport or powering your home (or the grid) through bidirectional charging. EVs are a boon for the grid, not a burden. > https://lnkd.in/eUttNgMa [Steve Crolius | Observer] And they’re even better for consumers who understand that a trunk load of cash is now sitting in their driveway. But to take full advantage of the situation, they need a way to handle all of that energy without having to manage it themselves. That’s where dcbel Ara comes in: it’s the most intelligent and efficient solar and storage system market, and thanks to over-the-air updates, it’s futureproof for #bidirectional charging, solar sunroofs and any other innovations that might come around. > https://lnkd.in/eCBjgisH

There are a lot of myths about electrification. Have you heard the one about heat pumps that can’t work in cold climates? How about one that says EVs are more expensive than gas cars? It’s time to bury these old chestnuts and understand just how powerful electrification will be. For the record: heat pumps are twice as efficient as fossil fuel heating systems are in cold temperatures. And when it comes to EVs, you’ll be spending between $18,000 and $24,000 less over the lifetime of your car than if you owned a gas vehicle. These numbers come from a new report by Heatmap Labs that underlines just how much we have to gain from electrification. > https://lnkd.in/eWV2JAUi [Heatmap News / Rewiring America] Here are some more nuggets of information. Even though many home cooks and chefs are smitten by gas stoves, electric induction stoves get hotter faster, without producing indoor air pollution. Replacing fossil fuel appliances like stoves with electric versions can save your family $2,000 per year on your energy bills. Add solar panels and those savings can rise to $3,000 per year. Of course, when you do that, you’ll need to manage it well to maximize efficiency. That’s where co-optimization comes in. Instead of operating independently, a smart home energy system can make sure your solar panels, EV and electric appliances are all working together harmoniously. It can save you up to 66% compared to a non-optimized system, according to the Energy Collective Group. > https://lnkd.in/eCxQgzqj [Energy Central] Set it and forget it: that’s the idea. And it’s why dcbel Ara is not only the gateway to intelligent electrification, but also the brains behind making a good thing even better. > https://lnkd.in/eCBjgisH By constantly evaluating the best ways to store, consume or sell your energy, Ara brings you the ultimate way to lower your carbon footprint, save money and ensure you always have energy.

Hurricane Milton brought destruction and flooding to Florida, leaving more than three million people without power. Our thoughts are with everyone hit by the storm. We’re also reminded of how important energy resilience is in times like these. Can we avoid a similar situation in the future? One of the reasons Milton hit so suddenly and so powerfully was because of record warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. With storms becoming more intense and unpredictable, ensuring energy resilience is more important than ever. The ability for homeowners to tap into their own energy production can make all the difference in an emergency. Imagine being able to use solar power in a blackout, harness power on reserve in a battery or even in an EV. We’re already on our way to that kind of scenario. "We no longer need to use the future tense when discussing the energy transition — clean energy is here now," says Ray Long, president and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). > https://lnkd.in/gCiSu49D [Forbes Nonprofit Council] You can see the difference in the market for residential solar, which has reached a turning point as solar and storage prices reach record lows. > https://lnkd.in/gYfQwfRG [Kelly Pickerel | Solar Power World] The second part of that equation — storage — is just as important as the first. Earlier this year, battery storage reduced power costs during a winter storm in Texas by $750 million. > https://lnkd.in/ePkDRUa9 [Doug Lewin] The next step will be to embrace #bidirectional charging to make every EV a potential source of backup energy. > https://lnkd.in/g3mGf_5a [Electrek.co] The storms will only keep coming. Now is the time to prioritize technologies that are affordable, reliable and clean. Our resilience depends on it.

dcbel was honored to host #EVolve guests the night before the Vehicle-Grid Integration Council's premier networking event kicked off. We wish to thank everyone for visiting our facility in San Bruno and taking in our V2X demo, which saw our flagship Home Energy Station, dcbel Ara, leverage EV energy for #V2H and #V2G. With industry leaders, policymakers, utility partners and council members all in attendance, the feeling was simply electric!

Did you know that dcbel Ara is made up of 5,700 parts sourced from 125 suppliers in 40 countries? Reporter Mehanaz Yakub from Electric Autonomy recently took a tour of our headquarters and spent time in our bustling lab. Here's what she learned: https://lnkd.in/eDh8X_mG

When it comes to #battery #storage, bigger is not always better. We’ve been hearing a lot about new investments in grid-scale batteries, which is great. But long distance transmission isn’t very efficient, which is why home batteries and other types of distributed energy resources will be increasingly crucial. #Solar power is going to get very cheap. That’s because solar panels are being installed faster than ever. Did you know most of the world’s solar power was installed in the past 30 months? And the more solar that comes online, the less expensive it will get. But transmitting that energy over long distances just isn’t very efficient or profitable. As physicist Casey Handmer notes, the more #local generation and storage becomes affordable, the less attractive long distance transmission will become. “This will mean the proliferation of #rooftop solar and consumer batteries, as well as solar batteries at utility scale, as well as municipal batteries in containerized form factors wherever local energy value arbitrage can justify their use,” he writes. > https://lnkd.in/eFEv8_DT [Casey Handmer] There’s also the problem that all this clean energy will eventually oversaturate the grid. “We won’t have enough grid capacity to dump solar energy into batteries through the high voltage transmission system,” writes cleantech expert Ben James. “This means that solar and batteries will have to zippity-zap each other without touching the transmission grid. Hence: solar and storage will have to be locally installed.” > https://lnkd.in/gJM5hHTm [Ben James] Call it grid-edge storage. With battery costs dropping by 88% over the past 10 years, and battery production ramping up by 10% per month, it’s easier than ever for individual families to have home batteries that can directly store solar power and EV energy. Together, these resources can add enormous amounts of flexibility for utilities while allowing homeowners to export energy for profit. The technology is ready — we just need to unleash it. Data from California reveals that distributed energy resources could generate 5x more electricity by 2035 as they do today. > https://lnkd.in/g-Pj4-yT [Jeff St. John | Canary Media Inc.] The home is set to become ground zero for inexpensive, super efficient energy. The future is local, and for the first time, power can be in the hands of homeowners.

Thanks Evan M. for hosting a far-reaching interview. Anyone interested in learning more about the genesis of dcbel, advice on embracing complexity, and getting an inside look at the massive shifts taking place in the world of home energy should definitely check out the latest episode of The Hard Part! 🎧 https://lnkd.in/gS2r4QPa

🌽 We're always eager to sink our teeth into new projects! dcbel HQ was the site of an outdoor corn roast today – a sweet way for our teams to get together, share some laughs and cap off a productive summer.

It was great to meet everyone during #REPlus24 last week. Innovation was the name of the game and you could see there was a huge appetite for truly #smart #solar and home energy solutions. One of the many topics on everyone’s mind: the weather. We aren’t just talking about the extreme heat that gripped California during the conference — which would have put the power grid to the test if it weren’t for the state’s new investments in #battery storage. > https://lnkd.in/g6mkHVj5 [Ben Storrow | E&E News] There was also Hurricane Francine, which plowed into Louisiana last week, shutting off power to 450,000 households and harming crucial energy infrastructure. > https://lnkd.in/e9GVtZPg [U.S. Energy Information Administration] With these kinds of weather events becoming increasingly common, it’s more important than ever to harness new technology to make the power grid more resilient while also giving consumers energy independence. You could see the demand for that reflected in the RE digital newsstand, where a couple of stories outlined the way smart home energy and extreme weather will intersect. It all comes down to #AI, which can interpret the increasingly complex ways that weather intersects with electricity prices that fluctuate rapidly according to supply and demand of clean energy. "The ability to predict solar production has evolved from preferable to essential," notes meteorologist James Luffman. > https://lnkd.in/emFhnESv [Energy Global] Another article in North American Clean Energy spells it out: “In order to stay ahead of extreme climate events, companies need to dynamically control on-site energy resources and loads.” And the way to do that is through AI-powered software that can automatically decide “when to produce, store and consume energy.” > https://lnkd.in/eExuaS4p [North American Clean Energy] We couldn’t agree more, which is exactly why dcbel has integrated the latest technology into the Home Energy Station. Using AI and micro-weather forecasting, dcbel Ara can see a storm coming and prepare your home for a potential outage by storing energy during off-peak periods. It’s a crucial step towards more resilient energy in an increasingly complicated world. 

California has just opened a new door towards widespread #bidirectional charging, with State Senator Nancy Skinner once again paving the way for game-changing #EV policy. Here’s what that means.   You might remember SB 233, Skinner’s bill that would have required all new EVs sold in the state to be capable of bidirectional charging by 2027. Though it passed the Senate, it didn’t make it through committee in the State Assembly.   Skinner promised a follow-up. And now she has managed to pass a new bill, SB-59, through both houses. It will give California’s Energy Commission the power to mandate bidirectional charging. > https://lnkd.in/gUdpMYMV [Alex Nieves | POLITICO]   The senator herself spelled out the implications. “SB 59 will unleash the power of EVs to be mini power plants on wheels, providing clean energy to homes, slashing consumer utility bills, and stabilizing the grid,” she said. > https://lnkd.in/g-gMPTsz [California State Senate] That future is already taking shape across the country. Electric school buses in Oakland are now powering the grid thanks to bidirectional charging. > https://lnkd.in/gcyw_A_U [Jeff St. John | Canary Media Inc.] Major automakers are already betting big on bidi. > https://lnkd.in/egunCpXH [Ken Silverstein | Forbes] But the picture gets more complicated on a domestic level. Individual homeowners who want to take advantage of smart home energy through rooftop solar, home batteries and bidirectional EVs are facing what cleantech analyst Jeff Osborne calls "the Wild Wild West" of the home energy market. > https://lnkd.in/g6fN9kk2 [Dan Murtaugh, Naureen S. Malik, Mark Chediak | BNN Bloomberg] Why? Because decentralized energy resources like home #solar, #battery storage and bidirectional EVs add a lot of complexity and variability to the grid. To really harness their potential, homeowners need an energy platform that does the hard work for them. For example, dcbel's Ara Home Energy Station anticipates rate fluctuations and uses AI to earn the most money for homeowners with the least amount of effort.   When it all works smoothly, it will add 162GW of capacity to the nationwide grid by 2030, according to the Department of Energy. The future is bright — and legislation like SB-59 is one step closer to it.