Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor and Valley Clean Energy Awarded $2.5 Million California Energy Commission REDWDS Grant for Pioneering "Rural Electrification And Charging Technology"

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Aug 19, 2024, 18:58 ET

Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and the Valley Clean Energy Alliance will deploy EV charging technology to respond to dynamic grid signals

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved $2.5 Million for the first phase of a two-phase, $27 Million "Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals" (REDWDS) grant for the "Rural Electrification And Charging Technology" (REACT) project to deploy charging technology on farms and at other rural locations that is responsive to dynamic grid signals.

Incentives from the grant will help customers to transition their on-farm fleets to the Monarch MK-V, the world's first fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor, and other electric vehicles–together, Electric Farm Vehicles (EFV)--by reducing the cost to deploy charging infrastructure while responding to dynamic prices and participating in demand response programs will increase customers' financial returns on investing in electrification. The grant also helps to fund Gridtractor and Monarch software systems and customer success teams that will help customers to manage charging in response to grid signals while prioritizing the work that their tractors and vehicles need to do.

Vehicle-to Everything, EVSE and charge management technology developed by consortium partners under 'On Farm Mobile Microgrids,' a second CEC-funded project, will enable customers to not only charge at the most beneficial times but export power to the grid or local loads when energy is scarce or expensive, greatly expanding their financial opportunities and the value provided to the grid and the state.

The consortium will not only help customers respond to the existing slate of rates and programs, but will also work to increase and improve them. Valley Clean Energy, whose successful AgFIT pilot led regulators to initiate a large, statewide expansion of dynamic rates, will engage with Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) to help them develop win-win programs for their members and participating customers.

"California farmers are already seeing significant savings from early deployments of our electric, smart MK-V tractors. In the last two years, Monarch Tractor has deployed more than 400 MK-Vs, resulting in the offset of more than 850 tonnes of CO2 emissions across 42,000 hours of tractor operations," says Praveen Penmetsa, CEO and co-founder of Monarch Tractor. "But, larger-scale deployments require more charging infrastructure and this grant will help us to significantly improve customers' economics of adoption."

"REACT is a great example of how CCAs can deliver value to their customers by addressing local opportunities and challenges. We have seen how targeted programs like AgFIT can be successful with the right mix of technology, financial incentives and customer engagement and we are excited to bring the significant value of this grant to VCE's customers and to help other CCAs to do the same," said Mitch Sears, Executive Director of the Valley Clean Energy Alliance.

"As power demand increases with the transition to EFV, REACT will help to ensure that new and existing load is responsive to grid conditions and a net contributor to California's reliability, decarbonization and affordability goals," said David Meyers, Founder/CEO of Gridtractor. "We look forward to working with our partners, CEC, CPUC, PG&E, SCE, CCAs and, of course, customers to achieve our shared goals."

About Gridtractor
Based in California, Gridtractor the developer of a cloud-based charge management system that enables users to manage charging and export power to the grid in response to their operational needs, grid signals, and local conditions while managing other site loads. The platform optimizes vehicle charging for farms and other rural customers while maximizing the use of existing on-site electrical services and generation. For more information, visit http://www.gridtractor.com and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Monarch Tractor
Monarch Tractor's MK-V is the world's first fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor that combines electrification, automation, machine learning, and data analysis to enhance farmer's existing operations, cut overhead costs, reduce emissions and increase labor productivity and safety. Monarch Tractor is committed to elevating farming practices to enable clean, efficient, and economically viable solutions for today's farmers and the generations of farmers to come. Operating in more than five continents, Monarch Tractor serves vineyards, orchards, blueberries, dairy, and land management sectors. With cutting-edge technology and a global presence, Monarch is delivering meaningful change for the future of farming. For more information, visit www.monarchtractor.com.

About Valley Clean Energy
Valley Clean Energy — or VCE — is the public electricity provider for residential and commercial customers in Woodland, Winters, Davis, and unincorporated Yolo County. We're a not-for-profit public agency, which means that we're working 100% for our customers. VCE keeps program control and revenues right here at home, where we can create jobs and build local clean energy projects. We reinvest dollars to boost our local economy while taking control of our clean energy future. More information is available at https://valleycleanenergy.org/.

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SOURCE Monarch Tractor