Electric car batteries might be used to enhance power storage in the future, injecting energy into the grid during times of shortage or storing electricity during periods of abundance, a new research showed Tuesday. Renewable energy is vital for the Paris Agreement objective of reducing global warming to well below two degrees Celsius, but the need to scale up swiftly and the intermittency of wind and solar have created worries about fulfilling power demand.
One option to assist tackle this issue is improving the storage capacity of power systems, so that even when there is no sun or wind energy supply won’t be stopped. New study published Tuesday showed that electric car batteries might help improve short-term grid storage in times of higher demand or reduced supply, either by setting up “vehicle-to-grid” or “second use” schemes.
“Harnessing this potential will have major consequences for the energy transition,” concluded the research published in Nature Communications.
A “vehicle-to-grid” technique would enable drivers to link car batteries to the grid for short term-storage when required, the authors stated.
For example, business vehicles might pump electricity into the grid while at a depot.
“Second-use” plans would enable drivers to sell or donate car batteries after they can no longer be used to power cars, which is normally when their capacity falls below 70 to 80 percent.
Micro-payments
Even a minimal degree of cooperation from drivers might make a major effect, the researchers suggested.
“Low participation rates of 12 to 43 percent are required to satisfy short-term grid storage requirements worldwide,” research co-author Chengjian Xu, of Leiden University in The Netherlands, told AFP.
“Short-term grid storage need might be addressed as early as 2030 in most locations”, he said, saying this was a cautious estimate.
By 2050, it would surpass the storage capacity necessary to help limit global warming to far below 2C, as indicated by the International Renewable Energy Agency. The analysis evaluated worldwide data—including from the key electric vehicle battery markets in China, India, the European Union and the United States—taking into account typical driving lengths, driver behaviour and temperature, all of which may impact car battery health. The authors stated governments should create incentives and laws to guarantee vehicle-to-grid and second use initiatives can take off.
“This may include market-based activities such as micro-payments for services to the grid,” Chengjian said, adding that vehicle-to-grid usage would have no damage on battery life.
Some automotive businesses such as Hyundai and Renault are currently testing cars fitted with vehicle-to-grid technology, while some Teslas are already compatible. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that there will be around 200 million electric vehicles sold in 2030—about 20 percent of all automobiles produced—an 11-fold increase from today’s levels.
IEA expert Luis Lopez told AFP utilising vehicle batteries as short-term storage was “very promising but it’s not a silver bullet”, as it would supply less than one percent of storage required under a net zero by 2050 scenario. It would also need effective “communication” between the power grid and the electric automobiles.
“If the power system, EVs (electric cars) and charging infrastructure all speak the same language, it is simpler to aggregate more vehicles for power system demands”.
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