VGI, DERs and electrification of medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles “have the capacity to reshape the future of the sustainable transportation sector—as well as the power grid—for the better,” according to the whitepaper.
“When vehicle batteries interact with the grid in a two-way flow of energy, EV [electric vehicle] fleets can serve the dual purposes of mobility and as a DER,” the report revealed. “Not only this, but EV fleets can act as sources of additional revenue by selling their stored energy back onto the grid. This can lower the overall cost of EV ownership and reduce payback periods for the transition from internal combustion engines. When combined with rooftop solar or stationary batteries, the technology can play a significant role in shaping localized energy solutions.”
One unique application of VGI services highlighted in the whitepaper is with vehicle-to-building connections, where vehicles discharge energy to individual buildings rather than the grid. A vehicle-to-building transfer actually allows the fleet operator to bypass some permitting requirements that are required for vehicle-to-grid interconnections. Additionally, intelligent battery cycling can manage a battery’s state of charge in a way that slows degradation while also managing the electric vehicle battery with VGI when not in use for its primary function.
From an equity perspective, VGI extends the benefits of electric vehicles to more members of the community; lessens the operator’s overall dependency on fossil fuel peaker plants, which often increase production when demand is high; and provides energy security in areas that are more vulnerable to power outages or other climate impacts. By providing supplemental energy storage during peak demand, electric vehicle batteries can smooth high demand periods and lower utility costs for all customers. Conversely, not supplementing the grid with electric vehicles requires more energy and a more expensive utility infrastructure. Those costs are passed along to all energy consumers whether or not they drive an electric vehicle.
As an added benefit, the whitepaper explains how energy from electric vehicle fleets can be used to power critical facilities in emergency situations or provide invaluable grid services during extreme weather events.
The study also takes a close look at geographic factors that transmission organizations, system operators, state regulators and utility companies with VGI project experience should understand to design better policies that incentivize project development. “VGI can provide a wide-array of benefits for fleets, utilities, governments, people and society depending on their individual values, whether that is resiliency and cost savings, clean energy and storage, or simply reliable transportation and clean air,” according to the whitepaper.
Authors and researchers responsible for the study include Paul Yeric, Shantelle Dreamer, Cliff Henke and Michael Huisenga from WSP; and Willow Urquidi and Nicholas Garza from the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Masters of the Environment program.
Click here to read the full whitepaper, Beneficial Transportation: How Vehicle-Grid Integration Makes Fleet Electrification a Win-Win.
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