A few years ago, the idea of using an electric vehicle (EV) to support the grid and provide backup power to homes and businesses seemed like it was a concept that belonged only in science fiction.
But with increasing demands on the grid from electrification and data center growth, EVs are gaining ground as a source of energy for supporting the grid while providing environmental and economic benefits. They could potentially lower the need to add expensive and polluting gas-fired power plants to meet peak demand.
Two recently launched projects shine a light on just how far bidirectional charging has come. In Illinois, electric distribution utility ComEd announced a project that will utilize three electric buses from three school districts to test the ability of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies to bolster ComEd’s grid.
The state of New Mexico has signed a $400 million deal with Nuvve Holding that provides V2G technology to help electrify New Mexico’s more than 2,000 school buses and the state’s 3,500 state-owned vehicles. The goal in New Mexico is to support New Mexico’s fleet electrification efforts, which are designed to help meet the state’s renewable energy goals.
Gregory Poilasne, CEO and founder of Nuvve Holding, said that each bus has the capability to supply 100 kWh to 300 kWh, and the buses generally will be connected to 60-kWh charging stations.
Nuvve has provided frequency regulation with EVs in Denmark for 8 years, he said. Under that energy-as-a-service program, the customers pay a flat fee monthly for a charging station and energy. Nuuve keeps the revenue from participating in grid services and other markets and takes all the risk.
Read the full article: Deploying Bidirectional Electric Vehicles to Support the Grid Takes a Leap Forward, Enabling Mobile Microgrids
