Save the Date: CalFlexHub Symposium 2024

Save the date for the 2024 CalFlexHub Annual Symposium – September 24. This year’s symposium is returning as a hybrid event, offering in-person attendance at Berkeley Lab and remote participation via Zoom Events. The 2024 symposium will be a full day, including tours of the world’s most advanced, integrated building and grid technologies testbed, FLEXLAB®. It will also feature keynote speakers from the California Energy Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, and more, and an opportunity to meet leading innovators in price-response automation technologies. Session topics will span the demand flexibility ecosystem and enable attendees to learn more about what interests them most. As always, this is a no-cost event.

The event is intended for utility and industry leaders, technology innovators, government representatives, workforce development professionals, community-based organizations, and researchers. We invite you to join a unique opportunity to learn, engage with, and contribute to advancing the future of California’s energy system.

Since its launch, CalFlexHub has been at the forefront of assessing research pathways, developing metrics, and accelerating the commercial adoption of load flexible technologies. This symposium aims to showcase the program’s achievements; offer updates on CalFlexHub’s portfolio of projects; foster discussions on the latest policies, research, and technological developments in load flexibility; and facilitate presentations from sector leaders. To support and accelerate the commercial adoption of load flexible technologies, the symposium focuses on solution-centered conversations designed to address the various barriers to scaled adoption, emphasizing advancing these technologies and standards equitably.

CalFlexHub welcomes your support in expanding the reach and impact of the CalFlexHub Affiliate Program — an avenue for public participation and contribution to our research goals. This program is an opportunity to expand the benefits of the CalFlexHub research by making prototypical hourly dynamic price and greenhouse gas signals available for free to any technology innovators who are interested in testing their capabilities. Your engagement is crucial in utilizing your established communication channels to foster broader awareness and participation. By extending our collaborative network, we can collectively enhance the development and deployment of automated responsive, flexible loads technologies.

You are encouraged to utilize your newsletters, social media, and other channels to share information about the program, highlighting the benefits and the pivotal role that participants can play in advancing technology that supports California’s energy goals.

For more information on the program and how to participate, please visit the CalFlexHub Affiliate Program page on our website. Thank you for your continued support!

Mary Ann Piette, Associate Lab Director Energy Technologies, Berkeley Lab, presents at CalCCA 2024 with her keynote presentation Next Generation Energy Technologies for California.
Watch Mary Ann’s entire presentation here.

The California Community Choice Association (CalCCA) has concluded its 2024 Annual Conference, held this April 16-18 in San Jose. The conference brought together nearly 800 attendees from the energy sector, including CalCCA Members, Affiliates, Partners, regulatory agencies, utilities, policymakers, researchers, original equipment manufacturers, investors, entrepreneurs, inventors, and more. CalCCA’s mission is to create a legislative and regulatory environment that supports the development and long-term sustainability of locally-run Community Choice Aggregation electricity providers in California. CalFlexHub and Berkeley Lab were represented by Associate Lab Director Mary Ann Piette in her keynote address Next Generation Energy Technologies for California. She was joined by distinguished speakers from the California Energy Commission, fellow researchers, and a variety of energy thought leaders in numerous sessions.

This project aims to demonstrate and understand the load flexibility potential of integrated multi-function heat pumps (MFHP) that use a single outdoor unit to provide domestic hot water, space cooling, and space heating. This demonstration, featuring Villara AquathermAire as the MFHP, intends to evaluate load flexibility benefits in a multi-family residential setting. Additionally, the project aims to demonstrate that an MFHP coupled with dynamic pricing programs can demonstrate the ability to shift energy consumption from high price period to low while maintaining comfortable space conditioning and avoiding emissions in a disadvantaged community.