Plans for EVs to “give back to the grid”
Australia has taken another step toward vehicle-to-grid capability, with the CSIRO and NSW-based Essential Energy announcing a partnership to better understand how to integrate V2G as part of a home energy management system.
The collaboration will see Australia's national science agency and one of the country’s largest electricity distribution networks develop a V2G capability that replicates a home of the future, linking smart energy appliances and the battery of an electric vehicle.
In June this year, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced $3.2 million in funding to Amber Electric to trial battery electric vehicle smart charging and provision
of V2G services with residential customers.
Through the Australian-first residential trial, Amber is developing a software solution to facilitate BEV smart charging and V2G bi-directional charging for its residential customers, including the installation of 100 smart chargers and 50 V2G chargers into participants’ homes.
For the Essential Energy collaboration, CSIRO Transport Electrification team lead, Kate Cavanagh said V2G will become more desirable as customers seek better value from their rooftop solar and the storage from their EV battery.
“V2G technologies have enormous potential and they’re going to play a big part in
the future electricity system, but at the moment our understanding of how they might work in the Australian context is limited,” she said.
“Our project is set in regional Australia, and we are using real household appliances in a laboratory setting to provide a range of realistic and controllable
household types and scenarios to test out V2G.”
V2G technology operates through a bidirectional charger that allows a two-way exchange of energy between the car, the home and the grid. This enables
the EV to become a mobile energy storage system that can capture excess renewable energy when it’s abundant – when the sun is shining, and rooftop
solar panels are generating surplus power – and supply energy back to the home or the grid during peak demand times.
Essential Energy Chief Operating Officer, Luke Jenner said using a bidirectional charger can transform EVs from being just a vehicle into part of the future energy solution.
V2G technology currently has limited availability for EV owners in Australia. Customers attempting to connect their V2G charger to the grid may encounter
regulatory challenges, including complying with current Australian standards.
In WA, Western Power says using an EV battery for V2G or vehicle to house (V2H) or vehicle to depot (V2D) electricity supply is a new technology that is only just
becoming available in Australia. It advises speaking with an electricity retailer for any change to services, including connecting a battery to your home or business.
Horizon Power is conducting WA’s first trial of V2G capability, in Exmouth.
The EV orchestration trial will test the potential for EVs to draw power from the grid and feed it back into the network.
If successful, V2G could help power homes, reduce power bills, and stabilise the electricity grid.
Horizon Power started the 12-month trial in April in partnership with the Gascoyne Development Commission, Shire of Exmouth, Exmouth Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, and WA Country Health Service, which operates Exmouth Hospital.
Each will receive a Nissan Leaf EV equipped with V2G smart-charging equipment and will be encouraged to use the vehicles as normal.
Exmouth was selected because its tourism-reliant economy means energy consumption fluctuates due to daily and seasonal demand, especially during
school holiday periods.
The trial's outcomes will enable Horizon Power to understand how automated orchestration of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) assets can help increase
and optimise the use of renewable energy through EVs while maintaining network reliability.