BluWave-ai EV Everywhere Product Turns EVs into Managed Distributed Storage for Electricity Grids

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BluWave-ai announces its BluWave-ai EV Everywhere SaaS product along with a $4.8M project with initial lead customer Hydro Ottawa, co-funded by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and supported by the Ontario Energy Board. The product will be deployed and pioneered with Hydro Ottawa. This product will present a solution to the worldwide challenge for distribution utilities to efficiently manage the increased energy demand to customers' homes for charging electric vehicles. BluWave-ai EV Everywhere is coming at a critical time for energy infrastructure, as the accelerating adoption of electric vehicles, both across Ontario and the world, is displacing gasoline powered cars with cost-effective and cleaner electric vehicles.

BluWave-ai EV Everywhere predicts, detects, optimizes, and controls EV charging to stabilize grid operations, providing real-time congestion management in utilities' distribution networks. Using BluWave-ai EV Everywhere will offset major capital upgrades for the grid, such as transformer and cable upgrades, to support more electric vehicles. This translates into cost savings for the utilities which benefits all consumers, not only those who own EVs. EV owners participating with utilities using BluWave-ai EV Everywhere will be able to save money on their energy bills to reliably charge their vehicles. This will benefit distribution utilities, consumers and system operators not just in Ontario, but anywhere in the world.

BluWave-ai EV Everywhere provides utilities improved customer engagement through participation in opt-in managed charging and real-time alerts to inform consumers of the best time to charge. This also provides utilities opportunities to generate revenue through EV charging participation programs, while providing EV owners savings on their energy costs. BluWave-ai EV Everywhere allows for the integration of in-front-of-the-meter energy storage and behind-the-meter solar, storage and electric heating as distributed energy resources in addition to residential EV charging. BluWave-ai EV Everywhere provides a non-wires alternative solution mitigating peak loads as more energy moves to power cars through the grid.

For transmission system operators, BluWave-ai EV Everywhere aggregates regional distributed energy resources and manages EV charging for demand response to support the system. Matching aggregated vehicle charging demand to fluctuating renewable energy allows for more onboarding of wind and solar energy in electricity grids internationally to enable decarbonization.

"Hydro Ottawa has been working on studies to determine the impact of EVs and their potential to fundamentally transform our infrastructure and the electricity grid as a whole in the short-term and long-term," said Guillaume Paradis, Chief Electricity Distribution Officer of Operations at Hydro Ottawa. "With BluWave-ai EV Everywhere technology, we will be in a position to more accurately predict EV loads, plan capacity upgrades across our community, and strengthen our system to meet the energy needs of our customers. Through the right partnerships today, Hydro Ottawa will be more than prepared for a seamless EV transition tomorrow."

"With the accelerating adoption of EVs in neighborhoods, distribution utilities in Ontario are faced with the challenge to support the increased demand from EV chargers in customers' homes and businesses," said Devashish Paul, CEO of BluWave-ai, "BluWave-ai EV Everywhere eases the transition to high EV penetration. Building on BluWave-ai's distributed artificial intelligence (AI) SaaS platform, BluWave-ai EV Everywhere uses real-time network data to predict demand considering forecasted consumer loads and behind-the-meter renewable generation. Integrated with utility systems, BluWave-ai EV Everywhere provides optimal dispatch for intelligent scheduling of EV charging and available battery energy storage. We are excited to collaborate with IESO and Hydro Ottawa to deliver this working system in the Ontario grid."

"The IESO forecasts that electricity demand from the electrification of transportation, which includes EVs, will increase 20 per cent annually," says Lesley Gallinger, President and CEO of the IESO. "Innovative technologies, like AI, are unlocking the potential for consumers to exert greater control over how they use electricity. By continuing to fund local projects through our Grid Innovation Fund, we are finding new ways to harness the potential of residential EV batteries, and change the way we think about our electricity grid."

"We are pleased that the OEB Innovation Sandbox has enabled this project to advance," says Susanna Zagar, CEO of the OEB. "By working together, we can really move the needle on the energy transition. This kind of work provides insight into emerging challenges in a rapidly changing sector – and supports solutions that can tackle those challenges."