Winner Clean Energy Challenge
Track: Startup
Briefing: BUILDING IN DELHI
About ELECTRIC WATER HEATER RETROFIT
There are over 600 million electric water heaters throughout the world. These hidden “batteries” can absorb massive renewable generation to shift loads and dramatically decrease peak demand. This off-tank solution minimizes setup and maintenance costs for hot water controls. It also ensures that residents feel no adverse impact. They just get monthly rebates on their electricity bill. By targeting hard-to-reach ratepayers with a cost- effective solution, it enables everyone to participate in the renewable energy revolution.
Read more on this project on the Clean Energy Challenge Platform
What’s your story?
‘Shifted Energy is a benefits corporation that focuses on the integration of renewables. We’ve developed, tested and perfected our patent pending solution to help utilities throughout the world stabilize their grids. And accelerating the integration of wind and solar power generation. Our platform engages hard-to-reach communities who can’t access rooftop solar, home batteries and electric vehicles.
Shifted Energy converts electric water heaters into rapidly scalable, efficient, and maintenance free flexible demand response assets. There are over 600 million electric water heaters throughout the world. These hidden “batteries” can absorb massive renewable generation to shift loads and dramatically decrease demand during peak hours. Instead of using precious electricity to heat water during peak demand times, utilities can use the latent storage capacity in water heaters to dramatically decrease their peak energy demands. This enables grid operators to delay or even forego costly upgrades to peaking plants, transmission infrastructure, or other legacy assets and instead focus on the integration of renewables.’
“This proposed project will demonstrate an economical path for rental properties to be included at a large scale to provide valuable renewable energy capacity and demand response solutions”
How did your project come about?
‘Hard-to-reach ratepayers like renters have few choices to participate in the renewable energy transformation that has provided utilities with significant cost savings. In fact, renters have historically paid high electricity rates to support the integration of renewables across the electricity grid without benefiting from any incentives that have been paid to homeowners with rooftop solar. This project lays the framework for effective engagement of renters on a large scale in renewable energy initiatives worldwide. This proposed project will demonstrate an economical path for rental properties to be included at a large scale to provide valuable renewable energy capacity and demand response solutions. Data from the aggregated fleet can also be used to help drive policy and technological decisions such as time-of-use impact on hard-to-reach customers.’
What was your reaction to finding out your project had been selected?
‘We are very excited and honored to have made the final selection of an impressive field of applicants. We know our Shifted Energy vertical solution is a global solution and making it this far in competition has proven that. We are keen to unlock those critical pathways to ensure that everyone in every community can participate in the green energy revolution.
In your opinion, why is creativity important in climate action and the transition to clean energy?
‘The world is rapidly changing and in order to solve the complex issues of our time we have to think differently. I believe a key element of creativity is having space to fail. Without failure, we could never build the most impactful solutions needed to address climate change. I absolutely think design is a key element in the process. We have to use our creative minds to engineer around our failures, the feedback loops we’ve created, and the discovery we’ve worked so hard on attaining and understanding.’
Where do you see your project one year from now?
‘We have projects in Canada, Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand. We would love to expand our impact on even a larger scale in metropolitan cities around the world. As the world races towards a renewable energy future we have to have a plethora of solutions that can rapidly and cost effectively scale the introduction of renewable energy like wind and solar, but at the same time be inclusive of all residents. I believe we can not only provide critical demand response services, but we can do so by increasing the energy literacy of ratepayers around the world.’