News Release
UC San Diego joins California energy storage initiative
UC San Diego and Southern California Edison join push for battery breakthroughs
The University of California, San Diego is a new member of CalCharge, the pioneering public-private partnership designed to accelerate breakthrough energy storage technologies in California. As part of the state’s push to significantly expand its renewable energy goals and clean-energy storage capacity, CalCharge announced today at the Energy Storage North America conference that it has expanded its network of innovators to include UC San Diego and Southern California Edison.
“The California Senate just passed a law upping the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030 and better batteries are integral to meeting this new goal,” said Danny Kennedy, president of CalCharge. “The resources and expertise at Southern California Edison and UC San Diego are a valuable addition to the CalCharge family and bring us closer to building a new economy where clean energy is maximized — and is affordable and accessible to everyone.”
UC San Diego joins a roster that ranges from Bay Area start-ups to multinational giants like Toyota Motor Corporation and the electronics manufacturer Bosch. In addition to unparalleled networking opportunities, CalCharge members get streamlined access to scientists and facilities at world-class institutions including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
“We believe in bridging the gap between research institutions and the real world,” said nanoengineering professor Shirley Meng, director of the Sustainable Power and Energy Center at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. “UC San Diego has a microgrid that serves as a real-world test bed, and we have one of the most diverse energy-storage research portfolios of any university in the world. For us, CalCharge opens a new door for exciting collaboration between innovators and researchers on energy storage.”
Energy storage is crucial for expanding clean energy in the consumer and transportation markets. California is a world leader in the energy storage sector, with over 130 companies working to advance battery technology. CalCharge is working to speed up innovation in energy storage technologies and acts as the center of gravity for the energy storage cluster, providing valuable connections to each other and to national lab resources. Twenty-seven organizations are now members of CalCharge.
“Whether it’s incorporating intermittent renewable energy into the grid, expanding clean transportation, or helping people decarbonize their lives at home, work and school, energy storage is key,” said Kennedy.
More information about CalCharge can be found at: www.calcharge.org.
Media Contacts
Liezel Labios
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-246-1124
llabios@ucsd.edu