A member-owned co-op in New Hampshire has become one of the first U.S. utilities to tap into the potentially transformative power of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, using the storage capacity in electric vehicles and other home batteries to even out the highs and lows of local electricity demand.
The pilot project relies on an hourly transactive energy rate that co-op members of the New Hampshire Energy Co-op (NHEC) can use to determine the best time of day to send a share of their stored electricity back to the grid, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance reports. That would be the point on the 24-hour clock when those battery and EV owners can earn the most money for the power they send back—which corresponds to the hours when electricity demand is highest, power rates are highest, and in places like Ontario, when high-emitting natural gas plants are most likely to be online.
“Participating member-owners use the hourly energy rate to make decisions about their energy usage,” ILSR explains. “If they have a battery storage system, or even an electric car, they can send power back to the grid when it has the highest credit value. The member can then recharge their device when the cost of electricity has gone down.”
An initial calculation by Plymouth State University showed program participants saving $4,000 per year by “optimizing the value of their car,” ILSR says.
Get the rest of the story (including a nifty chart that illustrates the transactive energy rate) by clicking here.https://www.theenergymix.com/2023/07/16/co-op-uses-vehicle-to-grid-system-to-put-money-in-consumers-pockets/