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The increasing
number of electric and hybrid automobiles creates new challenges to the
transportation industry. The all electric car has arrived and is beginning the
much anticipated takeover of the market. With the proliferation of new Battery
Electric Vehicles (BEV’s) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV’s) on the
road, there are many decisions auto producers must make in determining the
power source, energy storage, braking regeneration and acceleration
technologies. Today’s autos can plug in to the wall for a quick charge and then
travel distances of over 100 miles. But what if they could also serve as a
source of power for the utility?
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) is a concept that allows for two-way sharing of electricity between Electric Vehicles and the electric power grid. Each vehicle has the potential to be a consumer of and potential source for energy. This is accomplished either by throttling down their charge rate or discharging energy back into the grid. Originated in the mid 1960's by Professor Willet Kempton of the University of Delaware, V2G allows for quick fill ups of BEV's and PHEV's from the electric grid. The concept takes advantage of reduced energy costs when demand is low and sends power back to the grid from the auto during peak demand periods. Some estimates have the average automobile parked over 90% of the time.
During times of
maximum demand, electrical utilities often have to buy power from expensive and
less efficient fossil fuel power generating sources. Drawing power from residents
who plug in to V2G allows for better grid reliability, smarter energy
management and a rebate check from the electric utility. The utility customer
can provide enough offset electricity to gain between $4,000 – 10,000US. Purchasing
power from electric autos during high demand allows the utility to balance load
fluctuations on the grid. Balancing the load can assist in reducing unexpected
equipment failures that account for approximately 10% of the total cost of
electricity.
V2G is approaching the commercialization stage thanks in part to the
work of Professor Kempton and his team at University of Delaware. After 10 years of development in the US,
the technology is now ready to be commercially launched in Europe where
30 vehicles will be used to support the grid. Denmark is set as the first test market, chosen due to their green
technology cluster and position as a leading smart grid nation.
V2G has the potential to
radically change both the utility of vehicles and the ability of cities to meet
peak electrical demand with significantly lower costs and a reduction in
harmful emissions. Before long, electric cars will become a source of energy
that utilities can tap for extra power. Electric Vehicles charged on the grid
will be used during emergencies to power homes. Excess power generated from
sources such as wind, water or solar will be stored in Electric Auto batteries
instead of being wasted. The adoption of V2G technology is an important step towards
energy independence and decreased operating costs.
http://evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=25980
http://www.udel.edu/V2G/page1/page1.html
http://www.udel.edu/V2G/KempTom-V2G-Fundamentals05.PDF
http://www.pge.com/about/news/mediarelations/newsreleases/q2_2007/070619.shtml
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article./aspx?cp-documentid=434460
http://www.cleanfleetrepor.com/electric-vehicles/smart-grids-and-electric-vehicles/
http://www.acpropulsion.com/icat01-2_v2gplugin.pdf
http://www.plugincars.com | 
