UCLA MAE Professor Rajit Gadh’s research was featured in local newspaper the Santa Monica Patch, in the article “Santa Monica Teams Up with UCLA to Install Experimental EV Fast Charger.” The impact is that UCLA Engineering (MAE/SMERC) is adding smart energy devices for research in Santa Monica City which is in what’s known as the “Investor Owned Utility” territory of which Southern California Edison is one. SMERC has other research in the main UCLA campus with another utility, LADWP.
Prof. Gadh is quoted in the article:
Santa Monica’s first public fast charger was installed last week in the Civic Center Parking Structure by UCLA’s Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC). The project, funded by a research grant from the California Energy Commission, will manage and monitor the flow of energy between the structure’s rooftop solar system, onsite battery storage and City electric vehicles.
“The utility grid likes consistency when it comes to power,” said Dr. Rajit Gadh, SMERC Director, “When a cloudy day disrupts electricity generation from a solar system, there is inefficiency that strains the grid. Electric vehicles are like mobile batteries that can discharge excess energy back to the building and the grid in times of need.”