Parking lumps of metal AKA gasoline motor cars in cities all day long when we are working is distinctly antisocial. Moreover, burning fossil fuel to create electricity so we can pump their fuel out of virgin ground is causing global warming. Using wind and solar to generate power is an improvement, but there are quiet times requiring electricity storage. This begs the question could electric vehicles become grid storage when they are standing idle?
Could Electric Vehicles Become Grid Storage ? Definitely!
Jeff McMahon writing for Forbes certainly thinks the idea is practical. That’s because he believes by 2050 there will be enough electric vehicles to support a grid running on solar and wind. However, there will have to be enough smart chargers to make this practical. These are devices that shift vehicle charging away from peak demand times.
International Renewable Energy Agency’s team leader for renewable energy technology standards and markets Francisco Boshell agrees. That’s because he says total electric vehicle battery storage will be 40 terawatt-hours by then. Therefore, he says we must shift our focus away from transport to a power-sector perspective.
That’s Not the End of Uses for Electric Vehicles and Their Batteries
When we stop asking could electric vehicles become grid storage, and think what we could do with it doors open. Jeff McMahon says the possibilities include primary, secondary and fast-frequency reserves. No to mention two-way electricity trading, peak shaving, and load shifting.
This will be a great improvement over vehicles standing parked for 90% of the time. So says International Renewable Energy Agency officer Arina Anisie. This will be a win-win for both the power and transport sector, she explains. However, electric vehicle drivers would have to adapt to slow charging as surplus electricity becomes available. Electricity power grids in their turn will require adaption before they switch to this mode of power generation.
Related:
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Preview Image: Plug In Electric Vehicle
