Borqs Technologies teams with SkyCentrics for the delivery of Utility Scale Automated Smart Controls to the U.S. Power Infrastructure

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Borqs Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: BRQS), (the “Company”, or “Borqs”), a global leader in embedded software and products for the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, today announced that it plans to join with SkyCentrics, a Northern California company that is the leader in open standard power grid optimization in the U.S., for the manufacturing and delivery of CTA-2045 technology based products. Mobile connected CTA-2045 devices are chosen by utility companies across the U.S. as the open standard platform for controlling smart appliances, beginning with a focus on water heaters, but including pool pumps, HVAC mini-split equipment, electric vehicle chargers, and large commercial electrical equipment.

Historically, all water heaters have been ‘dumb’ with no ability to schedule, thus turning on and off randomly 24 hours a day to regulate the water temperature. Smart water heaters with an open standard CTA-2045 communications port and cellular CTA-2045 modules can optimize the schedule of heating water based on each household’s usage pattern as well as reducing when it is on and the grid is under peak load or using high levels of fossil fuels. CTA-2045 controlled heat pump water heaters are up to 300% more efficient than the traditional natural gas or electric units. It is estimated that the pollution reduction by CTA-2045 controlled domestic water heaters can produce staggering results, with each one million CTA-2045 equipped water heaters equating to the removal of carbon emissions from 200,000 gasoline-powered cars. Commercial and residential markets in buildings and power grid optimization can reach $110 billion by the year 2025, as predicted by Navigant Research. The adoption is expected to begin with utility companies in the western states proposing to initiate the gradual replacement of over 1,000,000 residential and multi-family water heaters with cellular-connected, CTA-2045 controlled, heat pump units starting in 2021. More information on the application of CTA-2045 technology can be found at:
https://www.bpa.gov/EE/Technology/demand-response/Pages/CTA2045-DataShare.aspx

SkyCentrics has focused on the research and development of smart CTA-2045 modules and works closely with utility companies, departments of commerce, and energy commissions across many states in the U.S. Washington state catalyzed the market when it passed SB 5115 that mandated a CTA-2045 port in all new water heaters sold after January 1, 2021. Oregon will join in 2022, and California, Colorado, New York and others are weighing when to join.