Bay Area EV Drivers Helped Prevent Blackouts During 2022 Heat Waves with MCE Load-Shifting Program

Residents Earned Cash Back for Shifting 5 MWh of Usage Out of 4 to 9 p.m. through MCE Sync Program

SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif., Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ev.energy, a global provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging software, and Recurve, the open-source platform that enables planning, procurement, and demand flexibility for virtual power plants, proved the power of load shifting programs with partner MCE, helping Bay Area EV drivers reduce charging usage by 5 MWh during California's September heat wave. This is equivalent to the average daily energy usage for almost 300 households.

In November 2021, MCE partnered with ev.energy to launch MCE Sync, a free mobile app that provides a hassle-free way for customers to charge their EVs off-peak and save money without any special hardware. In April 2021, MCE partnered with Recurve to launch the Peak FLEXmarket, a $6 million program that supports decarbonization and grid reliability by offering incentives for reducing energy consumption during times of peak demand.

"MCE is proud to operate a program that helps our customers save money and reduce their carbon footprint by shifting usage toward hours of the day where renewable energy is affordable and abundant," said Kevin Haroff, MCE Board Director and City of Larkspur Councilmember. "It is especially rewarding to put money back in our customers' wallets during this period of inflation and rising utility bills."

From August 31 to September 9, the California grid operator (CAISO) issued daily Flex Alerts asking residents to reduce energy consumption between 4 pm and 9 pm. In response, the Peak FLEXmarket issued dispatches to MCE Sync which automatically reduced customers' EV charging by as much as 96%, helping California prevent blackouts. 98% of the app users participated and, ultimately, MCE Sync reduced energy consumption from EV charging by over 5 MWh over the 10-day period. Drivers will receive cash compensation for their participation.

"MCE is committed to advancing electric transportation programs that make EVs and EV charging affordable, accessible and renewably powered," said Dawn Weisz, CEO of MCE. "MCE Sync is a great example of how community choice aggregators (CCAs) can help drivers save money on their EV charging while effortlessly supporting grid reliability."

Marin County resident and MCE customer Lydia Vignau uses MCE Sync to charge her Tesla Model 3. "I am happy to do my part to help balance the grid," she said. "I [trust] MCE with my data because it is being used to help balance the grid, the app is reliable, and my car is ready when I need it."

Contra Costa County resident and MCE customer Thomas Ganey uses MCE Sync to charge his EV at home. "It's always nice to know that smart charging settings use power when it's most sustainable and grid friendly," he said. "It was of no inconvenience to me at all."

The ability to reduce energy consumption at critical times is an invaluable resource to help the state avoid outages. Shifting EV charging out of peak hours will become increasingly important as California prepares to ban the sale of combustion-engine vehicles beginning in 2035.

About MCE: MCE is a not-for-profit, public agency that has been setting the standard for clean energy in California since 2010. MCE offers 60% renewable power at stable rates, significantly reducing greenhouse emissions and reinvesting millions in local programs. Serving a 1,200 MW peak load, MCE provides electricity service and innovative programs to more than 575,000 customer accounts and 1.5 million residents and businesses in 37 communities across four Bay Area counties: Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano. For more information about MCE, visit mceCleanEnergy.org, or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

About ev.energy: ev.energy is a Certified B Corporation® with a mission to make EV charging greener, cheaper, and smarter for utilities and their customers. Its end-to-end software platform wirelessly connects to a range of electric vehicles and L2 chargers and intelligently manages EV charging in line with utility and grid signals while keeping customers engaged and rewarded through an award-winning mobile app. With a global base of utility customers including MCE, National Grid, Southern Company, E.ON Energy, and AusNet, ev.energy manages hundreds of megawatts of EV load on its platform each day. Learn more at https://business.ev.energy.

About Recurve: Recurve's open-source platform and revenue-grade data creates demand flexibility markets that enable virtual power plants, giving utilities and aggregators the confidence they need to treat distributed energy resources as grid assets. In its mission to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy, Recurve integrates behind-the-meter demand flexibility resources into the emerging carbon-free energy grid, providing companies with the real-time transparency needed to revolutionize the way energy efficiency is measured, deployed, and procured. By paying for actual hourly metered performance, Recurve's market model dramatically reduces red tape, makes flexibility more lucrative for aggregators, and opens the door to a wide range of technologies and business models to better serve customers. Recurve is accessible across the United States and growing globally. To learn more about Recurve, visit Recurve.com.

Press Contacts: 

Jenna Tenney | Senior Communications Manager
 (925) 378-6747 | [email protected]

Alexandra Pony
(250) 858-0656 | [email protected]

Robyn Eagles
[email protected]

SOURCE MCE; ev.energy; Recurve