WattTime

WattTime operates as an environmental tech nonprofit with a mission to enable users to reduce their carbon footprint by choosing cleaner energy. The organization was founded in 2014 by a group of University of California, Berkeley researchers, including Gavin McCormick. McCormick, who was pursuing a PhD in energy and behavioral economics, co-founded the organization after realizing during a hackathon that his academic algorithms could be applied to real-world energy consumption to cut emissions. He dropped out of his doctoral program to launch WattTime, which was structured as a mission-driven nonprofit to steward a movement rather than as a traditional for-profit tech startup.

The core of WattTime's offering is a technology called Automated Emissions Reduction (AER). This software provides real-time and predictive data on the carbon intensity of the electricity grid. It analyzes which power plants are supplying the grid at any given moment, allowing for the identification of times when the energy is cleanest (i.e., when renewables like wind and solar make up a larger portion of the energy mix). This data, delivered via an API, can be integrated into any internet-connected device, such as smart thermostats, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and battery storage systems. These devices can then automatically shift their electricity consumption to times of lower emissions, a process known as load shifting, without affecting the end-user's experience.

WattTime serves a diverse client base that includes smart device manufacturers, software companies, utilities, and corporations with climate goals. For example, it partners with EV charging platforms like FlexCharging and companies like BrainBox AI, which provides AI for HVAC systems, to integrate AER technology into their products. The organization's business model is based on providing its data and technology through licensing agreements and partnerships. In 2017, WattTime became a subsidiary of RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute), a nonprofit focused on transforming global energy use, to help scale its solutions. This partnership provides WattTime with the support to grow while maintaining its mission-focused, nonprofit structure. Another significant initiative is 'emissionality,' which guides companies like Boston University and Salesforce in siting new renewable energy projects in locations where they will displace the most fossil-fuel-based power, maximizing their emissions reduction impact. WattTime is also a co-founder of Climate TRACE, a global coalition that uses AI and satellite imagery to track greenhouse gas emissions from all major sources worldwide.

Keywords: automated emissions reduction, marginal emissions rate, clean energy data, grid decarbonization, load shifting, smart grid technology, climate tech, environmental nonprofit, Gavin McCormick, emissionality, energy consumption data, IoT energy management, electric vehicle charging optimization, carbon footprint reduction, real-time emissions data, Climate TRACE, RMI subsidiary, renewable energy procurement, energy data API, behavioral economics for energy