Summary
Austin Energy is taking a leading role in promoting plug-in hybrid vehicle technology. Top utility managers at Austin Energy understands the value of having distributed storage connected to the grid to provide any number of grid support services. These services include emergency back up power to avoid a black out and the ability to store wind energy during the evening hours when the resource is most prevalent.
Modern communication and control technologies can enable grid-connected cars to both charge from the electric grid and provide reverse flow of power back onto the grid when called upon by grid operators. This concept has become widely known as vehicle to grid (V2G). V2G can enhance the reliability of the nation's electric grid and allow greater penetration of intermittent resources, like wind and solar, onto the electric grid helping to improve the environment.
Analysis
Most experts believe that the future of the light vehicle fleet lies with electric drive. We may now be seeing this transition with the increasingly popularity of hybrid electric vehicles. These vehicles combine an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, along with smart control technology, to dramatically improve the fuel economy of a vehicle. Eventually, many auto manufacturers see fuel cells as the ultimate power plant for light and heavy vehicles. However, the plug in hybrid vehicle, which takes exiting hybrid technology and adds additional batteries and a plug, may be a better near term option to address climate change and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Recent advances in battery technologies make plug in hybrids viable. A123 Systems and Altairnano have proven lithium ion battery packs and are currently in the process of ramping production to meet the growing demand for hybrid and electric vehicle. A mysterious company EEStor, based in Cedar Park, Texas and backed by VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer, is developing an energy storage unit that is an ultra capacitor that acts like a battery. Any one of the technologies being developed by these companies could, in volume production, offer a real, cost-effective energy storage option to enable plug in hybrids and V2G.
In essence V2G is one of many technical options that fall under the distributed energy resource (DER) heading. A rich literature exists highlighting the value that DER offers to the electric grid from increasing reliability to taming whole sale power prices. The one advantage that V2G has over, say a micro turbine, is the fact that the cost of the vehicle is justified primarily based on the transportation services it provides. During the 90% of the time the vehicle is parked, V2G suggests that the vehicle could serve double duty and generate cash for the vehicle owner providing grid support services. For a detailed listing of technical papers and conference presentations on V2G visit, www.UDel.edu/V2g.
