Use Your Phone To Figure Out the Green Time To Charge
WattTime, a Berkeley, Calif., nonprofit, has developed a smartphone app that will help you charge your battery electric vehicle with the cleanest electricity, thus reducing CO2 emissions.
WattTime’s cofounder, Gavin McCormick, said using the app can curb CO2 emissions by at least five percent, with some regions where nuclear or solar power are more prevalent even benefitting from a 100 percent reduction, Spectrum IEEE reports.
The power grid shifts minute-to-minute between a coal plant and, say, a solar or wind farm, depending on energy demand.
WattTime mines two datasets that enable the app to predict what power plant will be used to meet increased electricity demand at any moment in 106 markets across the U.S.
If a carbon-spewing coal plant is coming on line to meet additional demand, the app can help you delay charging until a clean source of energy is being used, delivering the greenest electricity possible.
A WattTime analysis of New England’s power grid suggested that chargers designed to optimize for price, rather than emissions, can actually increase carbon emissions.
The company believes that its empowering technology gives consumers the ability to shape energy demand and direct it toward cleaner sources.
WattTime is partnering with electric vehicle charging companies, plus it has partnerships with smart thermostat providers that use the app’s intelligence to time electric heating and cooling for minimum carbon emissions. One charging partner that has incorporated WattTime software into its charging system is eMotorWerks.
