A US trial shows Electric vehicles (EVs) are a tool to make electricity grids more resilient and sustainable, overturning claims that mass EV adoption will strain energy systems.
Through a technology known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G), or bidirectional charging, EVs can both draw power and send it back to the grid when demand peaks.
Maryland recently launched the United States’ first residential V2G pilot, in partnership with Sunrun, Ford and Baltimore Gas and Electric.
The initiative allows Ford F-150 Lightning owners to supply stored energy back to the grid, turning vehicles into mobile batteries that help balance renewable power fluctuations.
“This is the first time there are actual customers who are off-boarding power from their electric vehicles to the grid and we’re doing it at peak times in the evening,” said Chris Rauscher, vice president of grid services at Sunrun.
“So we’re actually reducing the stress and the demand on the grid—crushing the curve, crushing the peak—which helps lower costs for everyone.”
As renewable generation grows, such distributed energy systems will play a vital role in reducing emissions and cutting the need for costly stationary storage.
“There’s more energy capacity deployed today in electric vehicle batteries on the road in the U.S. than in all stationary batteries combined,” added Rauscher. “This is a massive resource.”
The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that California’s future EV fleet could power every home in the state for three days — a clear sign that mobility and clean energy are now converging for sustainability.
American EV drivers are starting to power the grid! appeared first on Energy Live News.