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GFO-20-303 – Advanced Plug Load and Smart Exterior Lighting Systems

Grantor:

CA Energy Commission

Departmental Grant ID:

GFO-20-303

Portal ID:

3117

Status:

Closed (11 total applications submitted)

Opportunity Type:

• Grant

Last Updated:

February 28, 2022, 3:38 pm

Categories:

• Energy

Details

Purpose:

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund applied research and technology demonstration projects to advance innovative technologies for controlling plug load and exterior lighting energy use.

Description:

The objectives of this solicitation are:

• Plug loads: reduce electricity use of active and standby modes for residential and commercial plug load devices, provide information that may inform future updates to codes and standards and reduce commercial plug load electricity use with advanced controls integrated with building energy management systems (BEMS)
• Exterior lighting:  reduce exterior lighting electricity use and load through use of solid-state lighting, improvements in fixture efficiency and form factor, and controls to maximize use of carbon-free electricity.

Plug loads accounted for 40% of California residential electricity consumption and 27% of California commercial electricity consumption in 2018. With more and more devices being brought into and used in buildings, it is expected that the total energy use for plug loads is expected to increase in the future. Plug load devices are typically not monitored nor controlled. Many of these devices have no power management capabilities and are left on 24/7.

Exterior lighting is a major energy use for municipalities and the commercial building sector. Based on comments from community-based organizations, poor exterior lighting is one of the main concerns among residents of low-income communities. Exterior lighting uses electricity when the grid is not powered by carbon-free electricity

The solicitation will have three funding groups:

Group 1: Analyze and Test Total Energy Consumption of Plug Load Devices to Support California Codes and Standards for Non-covered Products - Analyze the devices not currently covered by California or US Standards, determine their total energy consumption (standby and active mode) and identify those with the most potential for consideration in future energy efficiency or load management code and standards.

Group 2: Demonstrate the Integration of Smart Plug Load Controls and Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) in Commercial Buildings – Demonstrate the integration of existing building energy management systems (BEMS) with advanced smart plug controls. The demonstration goals are to: 1) verify data flows between the smart plug load controls and BEMS platforms, 2) identify additional enhancements needed to improve and make it easier for building owners to control and coordinate with other building energy end-uses to reduce the cost of implementation and 3) increase functionality, such as provide for grid and load management through price signals.

Group 3:  Demonstrate Smart Exterior Solid-State Lighting in Low-Income or Disadvantaged Communities – Develop, test and demonstrate innovative exterior luminaires to determine energy performance, potential for grid flexibility and other criteria determined in partnership with low income or disadvantaged communities. Goal is to reduce energy consumption by a minimum of 20%, provide strategies to maximize use of low or no carbon electricity (e.g., renewable energy), improve light quality, security, and glare reduction, and enhance visibility and safety for drivers and pedestrians.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

• Nonprofit
• Public Agency

This solicitation is open to all public and private entities with the exception of local publicly owned electric utilities. In accordance with CPUC Decision 12-05-037, funds administered by the CEC may not be used for any purposes associated with local publicly owned electric utility activities. A local publicly owned electric utility is an entity as defined in California Public Utilities Code section 224.3.

Eligible Geographies:

All test, demonstration or deployment sites (Groups 2 and 3) must be located in a California electric IOU service territory (Pacific Gas and Electric Co., San Diego Gas and Electric Co., or Southern California Edison Co.).  In addition, for Group 3 projects, all demonstration sites must be located in disadvantaged or low-income communities and meet the requirements of the Group 3 Scoring Requirements in Section IV.F, Scoring Criteria 8.

Matching Funding Requirement:

Match funding is required in the amount of at least 20% of the requested project funds for Groups 2 and 3 only. Applicants that provide more than this amount will receive additional points during the scoring phase (See Part IV). There is no minimum match requirement for Group 1. Applicants that provide match will receive additional points during the scoring phase (See Part IV.F).