University of California San Diego Pioneers First U.S. Grid-Scale Living Lab

As renewable energy and electric vehicles increase variability across the energy landscape, UCSD needed a way to better understand how distributed energy resources can be integrated into the power grid.

Traditional lab environments lacked large-scale, real-world testing capabilities, limiting the ability to validate new energy technologies, control strategies, and algorithms.

At the same time, fragmented energy management across thousands of distributed assets reduced visibility and coordination, slowing innovation.

UCSD established DERConnect, a grid-scale living laboratory that combines connected buildings with large-scale simulation to enable real-world testing of distributed energy systems.

Johnson Controls supported the initiative by:

• Connecting 11 campus buildings to DERConnect Lab through Metasys Building Automation System, enabling real-time control of HVAC, lighting, and energy systems within a programmable microgrid.
• Delivering upgrades across buildings, including controls, mechanical equipment, lighting and metering.
• Providing data logging and indoor environmental monitoring to support continuous research and validation.

This integrated approach enabled a unified platform for testing, optimizing, and scaling distributed energy strategies.

UC San Diego now operates a connected campus environment that supports advanced experimentation with distributed energy resources and grid-interactive technologies.

By connecting buildings and energy systems into a unified platform, students, faculty, companies and organizations can test, optimize, and scale new approaches to integrating distributed energy resources.

• Enabled building metering and control every 2 seconds across campus.
• Scaled testing with 2,500+ connected devices and ~2M simulated nodes.
• Supported Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS)-enabled research and testing within an advanced campus microgrid.
• Advanced a $42M, NSF-funded model to modernize resilient, low-carbon energy systems.

The University of California San Diego is a leading research institution advancing innovative solutions for energy systems and sustainability. Through DERConnect, UCSD is developing new approaches to integrate distributed energy resources, improve grid reliability, and support low-carbon energy systems.