According to a recent evaluation of the European Environment Agencyup to 80% of cars in the EU will be fully electric by 2050. With the number of electric vehicles continuing to increase, only the next decade will see a rapid increase in the number of zero emission cars on our roads.
Though the transition to renewable energy is undoubtedly positive for the environment, this drastic transformation will bring with it a series of challenges for consumers, communities and the stability of local electricity grids.
To support the transition to renewable energy, innovative Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology offers a potential solution. V2G technology can harness renewable energy stored in electric vehicle batteries and return it to the grid at peak times, benefiting vehicle owners and entire societies.
The first challenge to take into account is the increase in the number of electric vehicles on the roads, which will require the use of more renewable energy. This is already a common social phenomenon: the spike in energy demand that is instantly created when people wake up in the morning and turn on their kettles, or cook a dinner while watching TV after work.
Second, lower utilization of power plants will inevitably lead to increased operating costs. This will translate into an increase in electricity rates for consumers, as well as possible price increases.
Third, although the level of fossil fuels used to generate electricity is slowly declining – from 39% in 2019 to 37% in 2021 – the carbon intensity of energy creation needs to be reduced much more.
Finally, countries around the world have yet to increase their capacity to generate and store enough energy to meet this new demand.
To address these challenges and facilitate the shift to renewables, electric vehicle batteries could offer a highly efficient solution for smart energy storage and distribution.
energy exchange
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology is an innovative concept that is being developed to take advantage of this opportunity. Over time, this technology could be a key feature that all electric vehicles are equipped with. Hyundai, one of the leading manufacturers, is making considerable strides in this field.
V2G technology allows electrical networks cope with the additional burden which means charging millions of electric vehicles and, at the same time, better integrating the most intermittent renewable energies into the system. Electric vehicles equipped with V2G technology can serve as a renewable energy storage unit.
In a grid system, EV batteries supported by V2G technology can be used as a reserve whenever necessary. Vehicles can feed renewable energy back into the grid at times when solar or wind power cannot be generated, such as on a quiet afternoon. Similarly, at peak times, when large amounts of power are consumed, EVs can feed electricity back into the grid to balance demand.
“V2G technology will give EVs a secondary utility outside of passenger transport. Its power can be fed back into the grid to be used by local power distribution companies, while its batteries can also be used to store power, helping power distributors to stabilize the grid,” he says. Yukihiro Maeda, Head of Cross-Carline at Hyundai Motor Europe. “In addition to manage power supply during peak hours and help decarbonise the electricity system, this technology even has the potential to create financial benefits for grid conductors and distributors, as well as bring significant environmental benefit by supporting the decarbonisation of electricity grids .«
In addition to benefiting EV owners, as the infrastructure required for V2G technology is developed and deployed, this technology can also bring benefits to society as a whole, local energy grids and the environment.
When wind turbines or solar panels produce more electricity than the grid needs, electric vehicles with V2G technology They can be used to store excess electricity. Therefore, V2G technology could play a key role in energy supply management in the future.
In addition to supporting the stabilization of the local grid, V2G technology will also contribute to the reliable supply of renewable energy. On the supply side, the democratization of renewable energy is already here. But with V2G technology, there is now the possibility to achieve it on the demand side as well.
On average, most cars remain parked and stationary 96% of the time, or more than 23 hours a day, while daily commutes typically require only one tenth of the battery capacity of an electric vehicle. for actual driving. After charging their vehicles at a lower cost during off-peak hours, EV owners can sell unused power from their batteries during peak hours, when electricity is scarce and its price is higher. Thus, EV batteries they can be used as a flexible, low-carbon power source to support grid stability. This saves significant network capacity and reduces the operating costs of energy providers.
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V2G is a future technology which is already available. The reorganization of the grid is already taking place, which requires the cooperation of various stakeholders, such as governments, energy providers and original equipment manufacturers. In addition, a common communication protocol is being established between the VE and the network.
A single electric vehicle can store enough electricity to power up to five homes for 24 hours. An entire fleet could have a significant impact in entire towns and cities, with the ability to take advantage of excess renewable energy during the central hours of the day and offset peak demand from the grid in the morning and at night. Thanks to V2G technology, cars will not only be able to supply energy to the grid, but also to customers’ homes.
For all this to be possible and to encourage a greater deployment of V2G technology, it is necessary to continue developing Business modelscarry out studies on commercial viability and study regulatory aspects.