Electric Vehicle Meets Grid

Utilities and automobiles are forming a unique partnership with V2G becoming feasible.

Electric vehicles cut down pollution and create sustainable, environment-friendly alternatives for mobility. However, this is not the only advantage that EVs bring to the table. With Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), EVs are redefining electric utility services. V2G involves making electric vehicles a part of the larger grid by enabling the car batteries to be plugged into the grid network. This creative solution helps solve quite a few problems and has the potential to make electric utilities more reliable than ever before. As service providers consider and test the technology, the market demand for V2G is expected to peak.

OPPORTUNITY TO ADOPT RENEWABLES

Using the batteries of EV vehicles opens the door for quicker adoption and mainstreaming of renewable resources of energy. Also, V2G presents the opportunity to make vehicles more functional. A lot of investment goes into buying a vehicle and even then, for a substantial part of its life, the vehicle lies unused. By enabling plug-in of vehicles to grids, car batteries can be put to use although the vehicle is not in use on the road.

REDUCED DEPENDENCE ON GRIDS

It is common knowledge that grid infrastructure is about to fall short as consumption rates increase rapidly. This is creating the demand for the construction of additional generation and distribution facilities. Roping in EVs and implementing V2G can contribute significantly to grids and help reduce the need for new power plants. Together, all EVs can create virtual power plant facilities that can address the electricity requirements of end-users. By enabling the bi-directional flow of energy from vehicles to the grid and vice versa, utilities get a major boost without any significant investment.

RESILIENT ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE

By making EVs a part of the electric utility network, electricity supplies become highly reliable. People can have access to electricity, even during disasters. Until power lines are fixed, car owners without generators and power backups can use their vehicles as a source of power. Besides, EVs can feed power to the grids during peak hours, creating an advanced network of standalone supply points.

As technology makes utilities smarter, innovations in V2G can put together a string of advantages for utility service providers, as well as consumers.