Electric vehicles (EVs) could become important microgrid assets that reap income by providing grid services. But there’s a glitch — a lack of market signals from the grid in many places.
However, a growing number of cities and other organizations are pairing EVs and vehicle-to-grid programs with microgrids to test the idea, expecting to reap not only savings and income but also environmental justice and sustainability.
They are eyeing ways to take advantage of the batteries in EVs — which often sit unused in parking lots or garages — with the expectation of EV proliferation in the coming years, and the growing availability of bidirectional technology, which allows the car battery to discharge back onto the grid.
Peak Power, which provides software to manage distributed energy resources (DERs), is participating in an EV and microgrid project in Ontario focusing on the importance of establishing markets for multiple grid services.
“It all comes down to coordination among stakeholders. Allowing DERs to participate in the grid is a win for everyone. Markets are the best way to make that happen,” said Mabel Fulford, senior manager of strategy and operations, vehicle-grid integration for Peak Power.
Leave a Reply