Wexus Receives Grant from California Energy Commission (CEC) for Innovative Mobile Platform that helps agribusinesses quickly access energy usage and spending data; CalCom Solar and Wexus Technologies Partner to Deploy Energy and Water Saving Technology and Research

CalCom Solar and Wexus Technologies Partner to Deploy Energy and Water Saving Technology and Research

Wexus Receives Grant from California Energy Commission (CEC) for Innovative Mobile Platform that helps agribusinesses quickly access energy usage and spending data

JUN 10, 2015 - CalCom Solar of Visalia, California and Wexus Technologies of San Francisco have joined forces on new cutting-edge technologies to save energy and water. Wexus was recently awarded a $4 million grant by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to commercialize a cloud-based, mobile platform for the agricultural industry that will serve to make the industrial and agricultural sectors more efficient. CalCom Solar is partnering with Wexus to deploy their technologies across agricultural sites throughout California.

The Ag / water / energy problem: You cant manage what you dont measure. Due to a combination of a lack of data, high energy costs, and limited mobile applications in the field, farmers can spend up to fifty (50) percent more on energy than necessary during farming operations, particularly when operating irrigation pumps. To help solve this problem, the CEC grant will enable Wexus and its partners to deploy software that leverages existing utility meter data and helps growers access on-farm electricity and water information from mobile and desktop devices. By leveraging this information and through energy saving recommendations, growers can quickly adjust operations to optimize energy usage and costs.

"Wexus and CalCom are delivering clean energy systems and revolutionary tools for farmers and growers that assess and analyze numerous factors —including historical and future electrical rate increases, water/irrigation patterns based on delivery of surface vs. groundwater, energy use by crop types— to generate the most precise energy and water use projections in the industry. Leveraging the internet of things and other tech advances, were deploying networked devices in the field to gather energy and water use information for agricultural businesses and water districts. This helps growers understand the impacts of electricity costs on their water management and agricultural operations. The data is used to devise an energy approach that deploys optimized solar arrays — specifically designed to make energy and water use as efficient as possible," noted CalCom Solar CEO Nic Stover.

"Were honored to be selected by the California Energy Commission to further develop and commercialize the Wexus platform, and were excited to be partnering with CalCom Solar in the Ag energy sector," said Wexus Technologies CEO and co-founder Chris Terrell. "This grant and the CalCom / Wexus collaboration will enable us to further deploy technology that empowers growers to save energy, water and lower operational costs when they need it most: during an unprecedented drought in California."

California Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller said the drought has provided California with new opportunities to lead in advanced technology.

"In response to the drought and the Governor's Executive Order, the Energy Commission has invested in water-saving innovative technologies," said California Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. "These projects will increase energy efficiency at water-related facilities and enable better management in sectors -such as agriculture- that are typically large water users. We look forward to funding similar projects through our Water Energy Technologies program this summer."

For more than two years, California has been dealing with the effects of drought. To learn about all the actions the state has taken to manage our water system and cope with the impacts of the drought, visit Drought.CA.Gov .

About CalCom Solar
CalCom Solar, a leading California-based solar provider serving agriculture and water districts, has extensive expertise in Ag energy/water-use optimization. Our founding team has 35 years of solar experience—delivering tremendous value-add for agriculture and water district customers. CalCom has developed proprietary Solar AG Energy (SAGE) analysis software (http://calcomsolar.com/sage ); this revolutionary tool analyzes numerous factors —including historical and future rate increases, water/irrigation patterns, crop types, etc.—to generate the most precise energy projections in the industry. For more information, please visit www.calcomsolar.com .

About Wexus Technologies, Inc.
Wexus Technologies, Inc is a software-as- a-service (SaaS) company focused in energy efficiency for agriculture. Were the smart link between the utility grid and equipment in the field for continuous energy savings. The agriculture industry is rapidly transitioning to the next generation of technology: mobile, cloud based software, big data, and connected devices in the field. The combination of rising energy rates, increasing regulation & reporting, along with drought and changing weather patterns is driving demand for next generation ag energy efficiency solutions. Wexus helps bridge this gap by providing a mobile platform for farmers to quickly access energy and water usage data in order to optimize energy usage, reduce operational expenses, and relate these expenses to your bottom line.


Contact: Susan DeVico (510) 339-1527 SusanDV@aol.com