An initiative in the United States is working to electrify school buses. With no tailpipe emissions, EV buses are the cleanest and healthiest way for children to commute. The target to reach every school bus in the country is commendable. But this project goes one step further. School buses are only in use for a few hours a day, which effectively turns them into big battery storage units. An interesting opportunity. In some trial locations, these EV school buses are supplying electricity back to the grid when stationary, at times when demand is high. Vehicle to Grid, or V2G technology has enabled a new value chain to be created in this sector. Here’s how it works: If you have power in your vehicle’s battery that is not being used, V2G enables you to sell it back to the grid at peak times when that power is needed. In some systems, an app allows you to create a schedule where you always charge up when energy supply is high,

thus at a low cost. Then it will sell the energy back when the cost is high, earning you money. Of course, always making sure there is enough charge in the car for the journeys you need. You can also use it to just power your home. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake in Japan, V2G technology was rapidly expanded to help with the long period of intermittent power supply. EVs became personal backup generators. The initiative was so successful that it is now policy in Japan that all EVs must be V2G enabled. Experts in the UK estimate that if all 1.8 million EVs used V2G, it could store up to 72 million kilowatts of electricity - the daily needs of 9 million homes. The knock-on effect of this could save the UK up to forty billion pounds by 2050. The number of home chargers across Europe is going up.

By 2030, 26.8 million residential chargers are expected across Europe as EV penetration exceeds 60%. Although only some European EVs currently have V2G capability, we believe market regulators will see the advantage of grid flexibility and grid resilience, and will want to incentivize market integration of variable energy resources. The question remains, what future technology disruptions lie in store? And to what extent may they further shift the competitive landscape?

EVs - The New Smart Power Grid | FT Rethink

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EVs - The New Smart Power Grid | FT Rethink

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