Smart Cities San Diego
Smart Cities San Diego is a bold, multi-year collaboration combining the resources of the City of San Diego, San Diego Gas & Electric, GE, UC San Diego, and Cleantech San Diego. Together, these leading organizations from government, business, education, and nonprofit are working to drive existing energy programs forward, identify new opportunities, embrace additional collaborators, and make the San Diego region a leader the smart cities movement.
Smart Cities San Diego leverages its strengths and resources as a partnership to develop and implement initiatives that will empower consumers, improve environmental quality, drive economic growth, and reduce San Diego’s reliance on oil. The collaborative is moving the San Diego region toward a more consumer-focused, environmentally conscious energy future by addressing San Diegan’s 21st century energy needs.
Initiatives
Smart Buildings – Port of San Diego
In December 2014, the Port of San Diego became the first demonstration site in a series of regional public-private smart building initiatives led by Cleantech San Diego and a team of Internet of Things (IoT) technology providers to advance the region’s smart city goals. Combining end-to-end IoT gateway solutions provided by Intel Corporation, OSIsoft, Black & Veatch, Dell, and San Diego Gas & Electric, this smart building project uses sensors to detect energy consumption and translate it into easy-to-manage, real-time data for building operators at the Port of San Diego to act upon. Read More
Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan
The City to Chula Vista and Port of San Diego have significant sustainability goals for its Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan. This Smart Cities San Diego project facilitated by Cleantech San Diego will bring the latest technologies to the Bayfront Master Plan for maximum energy-efficiency and sustainability outcomes.
Electric Vehicles
Smart Cities San Diego is committed to helping San Diego become America’s Finest “Plug-In” Ready City by facilitating the expansion of a public electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure that ensures the safe, reliable, and efficient integration of EV charging loads with the power grid. Working with companies like NRG eVgo, car2go, ChargePoint, Black & Veatch, and Envision Solar, Smart Cities San Diego supports the electric vehicle and renewable energy programs already taking place in the region and works to expand those projects. As of early 2015, the region has 14,000 EV drivers, 727 public charging stations, and 34 DC fast chargers. San Diego is also home to car2go’s fleet of 400 electric vehicles, the only all-electric car sharing program in North America. Learn More
Street Lights
With involvement from Cleantech San Diego, the City of San Diego installed 3,000 LED street lights with adaptive controls downtown – one of the first deployments of this technology in the country. In 2014, street light retrofit initiatives were also launched by the County of San Diego, City of Oceanside, City of San Marcos, and Port of San Diego. Once completed, these projects will total: 75,000 street lights retrofitted, 30 million kWh in annual energy savings, 12,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide eliminated, $30 million in economic development, and $4 million in annual taxpayer savings. The San Diego region is working with technology innovators such as GE, Acuity Brands, and others on these intelligent lighting solutions.
Solar-to-EV
San Diego has one of the nation’s highest levels of electric vehicle drivers per capita. Results from a strategically placed infrastructure pilot project show the region’s interest in the technology. Five solar-to-electric vehicle (EV) charging stations located at the iconic San Diego Zoo in the heart of the city’s world-renowned Balboa Park have been increasingly used month over month. The Solar-to-EV project launched by Smart Cities San Diego in September 2012 and managed by SDG&E is one of the first of its kind in the world. The charging stations use energy from the sun to directly charge plug-in EVs, store solar power for future use, and provide renewable energy to the surrounding community. Read More
Eco Luxury Apartments
Smart Cities San Diego supported H.G. Fenton Company and its launch of the Solterra EcoLuxury Apartments in Scripps Ranch. This smart living community is designed with photovoltaic solar installations providing 100 percent electricity needs for all 114 units and common areas, garages that are pre-wired for electric vehicle charging, in-home virtual net metering displays provided by SDG&E allowing residents to monitor energy usage, and smart thermostats that can be programmed from anywhere or anytime by computer or smart mobile device. Solterra is the first all-solar apartment complex in San Diego and one of the first market-rate multifamily complexes in the nation to offer “net zero” living to its residents.
