The Role of Electric Vehicles in Smart Grid Planning

 

 
Globally, automotive manufacturers are considering the best means of quickly charging electric vehicles, as well as charging with solar photovoltaic panels whereby if the EV is not used, the stored energy could be returned to the grid during hours of peak demand for electricity. This vehicle-to-grid technology will need to be considered as an integral part of a smart grid future as we move towards more electrification of transport and a smart grid.

Implementation of net metering is hampered for two reasons: the degradation of batteries, which means they would need to be replaced more often, and the EV has to connect to the grid in the same way a solar photovoltaic system does, complying with standards to protect line operators and maintenance personnel working on the grid. Bidirectional charge controllers add to costs, but EV manufacturers such as Tesla and Nissan have now taken steps to enable vehicle-to-grid connection with some of their models.

Additional charges for enabling the export of electricity from households, as well as the buy-back rate of the electricity, depend on electrical utilities and pricing arrangements/regulations. Further details are outlined in the article linked below:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/122348111/climate-explained-could-electric-car-batteries-feed-power-back-into-the-grid