The intermittency of most renewable energy sources is something that is frequently trotted out as a reason we must continue to rely on fossil fuels for most of our energy needs.
Vehicle to home or Vehicle to grid is also promising. Soon we will all have big batteries on wheels parked in our driveways that are only being driven 10% of the time. That other 90% they can be charging up when renewables are plentiful and discharging to run our homes or discharging to support the grid when the grid needs it.
Yes, V2L and V2G technologies are starting to appear. The Korean car manufacturers seem to be the most active in this area, but once industry protocols are agreed upon, I think all car makers will jump on board.
Vehicle to home or Vehicle to grid is also promising. Soon we will all have big batteries on wheels parked in our driveways that are only being driven 10% of the time. That other 90% they can be charging up when renewables are plentiful and discharging to run our homes or discharging to support the grid when the grid needs it.
Hi Gavin,
Yes, V2L and V2G technologies are starting to appear. The Korean car manufacturers seem to be the most active in this area, but once industry protocols are agreed upon, I think all car makers will jump on board.
Here are a couple of related links you might find interesting — the first is one of the clearest explanations I have come across for how smart micro-grids can help avoid the need for big upgrades to the distributive grid system. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22062023/inside-clean-energy-virtual-power-plants/?te=1&nl=climate-forward&emc=edit_clim_20230623
This one is about how rooftop solar has made a surprisingly (at least to utility regulators) contribution to grid stability. https://www.eenews.net/articles/rooftop-solar-was-overlooked-now-its-closing-a-new-england-power-plant/.
Thanks for reading,
Doug