SAN DIEGO, CA – Sycuan Casino Resort has unveiled low-carbon technologies at its property in an undertaking that includes 40 ‘level two’ chargers, five DC fast chargers (DCFC), and a 250 kilowatt (kW)/560 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery energy storage system (BESS). This project supports California’s goals of achieving five million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030 and 250,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2025. Additionally, the project is estimated to deliver approximately 490,000 electric miles, which is equivalent to saving 22,000 gallons of gas each year, thereby avoiding 431,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
The EV chargers are integrated into a network that utilizes Adaptive Load Management (ALM) technology – software that dynamically balances the total system load by controlling the output of individual chargers in real-time to mitigate peak energy spikes. By utilizing ALM, the project can accommodate a greater number of chargers than could otherwise be supported by the existing utility infrastructure. Through the project, Sycuan is helping achieve California’s rapid transition to electric vehicles without overtaxing the grid.
The BESS and EV charging stations are managed and co-optimized by PowerFlex X. By integrating the battery energy storage system with the DCFCs, Sycuan can avoid high demand charges from the surge in electricity consumption that fast chargers bring. The BESS can further reduce costs and carbon emissions by powering the chargers with cheaper energy stored in the battery instead of expensive on-peak grid power.
“We are very excited to partner with PowerFlex to provide our guests with additional EV charging options at our casino resort,” said Rob Cinelli, General Manager at Sycuan Casino Resort. “As we continue to see more and more people adopt this technology, it was important for us to stay ahead of the curve and provide this free amenity for our guests and team members. We remain committed in finding ways to help reduce our environmental impact and in the future, we have plans to install additional charging stations enterprise-wide.”
“We applaud Sycuan’s continued efforts towards sustainability,” said Steve Morris, Executive Director at I Love A Clean San Diego. “Sycuan’s community support extends beyond their facilities, mobilizing volunteers at cleanup events across the region and by sponsoring this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day.”
“We are proud to work with Sycuan to equip their historic location with technology to make their operations more sustainable,” said Raphael Declercq, CEO of PowerFlex. “The unique ability of our software to co-optimize storage and EV charging will help sustain California’s growing EV charging demand and increase Sycuan’s onsite energy resiliency. They are taking an important step to support the state’s air quality and climate change targets.”
This project is another step the organization has taken in an effort to support a sustainable future. In 2008, Sycuan formed a volunteer group of team members called The Sycuan Green Team, that furthers their goal to educate and promote their mission to reduce, reuse and recycle. Over the years, The Sycuan Green Team has hosted Earth Day events, organized E-Waste collection drives and partnered with the local non-profit I Love a Clean San Diego for several cleanup events throughout the San Diego community. Sycuan also works with a recycling company to divert as much of its waste stream as possible to reduce the impact on the environment.
