UC San Diego Awarded $1.8M to Advance EV Charging and Microgrid Innovation
UC San Diego Awarded $1.8M to Expand EV Charging and Microgrid Capabilities
UC San Diego has received more than $1.8 million from the California Energy Commission to expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and enhance its campus microgrid—already one of the most advanced in the world. The funding will support the addition of 26 new EV charging outlets, including high-speed DC fast chargers, and further development of diverse energy storage technologies integrated into the university’s microgrid.
With this expansion, UC San Diego is on track to host the most extensive EV charging network of any university worldwide, with 54 total outlets—over 70% open to the public. The initiative supports California’s executive order to deploy 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles by 2025 and 1 million charging stations by 2020.
An additional $1.6 million grant boosts earlier funding for the campus microgrid, which now supplies more than 90% of UC San Diego’s electricity. The microgrid saves the university $800,000 monthly in power costs and serves as a model for clean, localized power generation and storage.
The investment supports local job creation and clean tech partnerships, including work with San Diego-based Alternative Energy Systems Consulting and Monrovia-based AeroVironment for EV charger deployment.
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