Two SDSU graduate students and a local Solana Beach developer teamed up at last week’s AT&T/SDG&E Mobile App Hackathon to create CrowdRacing, an app that offers energy consumption competitions where customers are rewarded for low usage with credits and prizes. The trio came in third place, taking home a $2,000 cash prize and kudos from California Public Utility Commissioner Catherine Sandoval, who judged all submissions.
Vyshakh Babji and Bharath Mylarappa, both computer science graduate students at SDSU, and Nik Souris, a Harvard Business School graduate who lives in Solana Beach, ceated the winning app. Aligning with the White House’s call-to-action to reduce national energy use, the CrowdRacing app creates awareness and incentive for consumers to better manage their energy consumption.
More than 80 attendees camped out at SDG&E’s Energy Innovation Center during the hackathon, where San Diegans were challenged to build apps that facilitate energy conservation. During the 24-hour timeframe 10 mobile apps were designed.
