Octopus Energy Group and National Grid ESO have used electric vehicles (EVs) to help balance the grid in what they are dubbing a first for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
The ESO directly sent a series of signals to Octopus between 17:00-05:00 over 3-5 August 2022, which then charged and discharged 20 EVs depending on the needs of the Balance Mechanism, helping to balance the system in real-time.
“This is a real ‘line in the sand’ moment for V2G tech. We have shown that this technology is capable of helping to balance our future, green grid, to the benefit of people and the planet,” said Claire Miller, director of technology and innovation at Octopus Electric Vehicles.
“We’ve proved what is possible with the technology and cars that are currently on the market, and this is only going to grow. Soon we will have millions of electric cars sitting on driveways capable of storing and exporting green energy back to the grid when it needs it most – and once the vehicle-to-grid proposition is ready to be launched, these cars will help to support our renewables expansion and taking us a huge step closer to net zero.”
Following the tests, analysis from Octopus Electric Vehicles has suggested that if the results were extrapolated across a whole year, EVs playing into the Balancing Mechanism could realise a profit of around £62 million per annum. This figure assumes a million cars (dis)charging over four sessions a week, and 20% of car energy volume is delivered into the Balancing Mechanism.
Non-participating customers would also benefit, the company added, as reduced balancing costs would help lower bills for everyone.
Individually, EV drivers could save up to £840 per year by playing into the Balancing Mechanism, using Octopus Energy Group’s Kraken platform to manage charging and discharging in response to power prices and grid signals.
This figure is on the basis of Octopus Energy’s original Powerloop V2G trial, but scaled up for a driver travelling 10,000 miles a year.
“Vehicle-to-grid technology opens the door for everyone to engage in our electricity system, in a way that we can all benefit from,” said Jake Rigg, corporate affairs director, National Grid ESO.
“The next steps for us are to take these learnings and work with industry on how we develop and deploy a balancing mechanism service for V2G. The trial findings will also influence future innovation projects, including the CrowdFlex project we are currently developing with industry, to establish additional routes for consumer engagement in electricity networks.”
In October 2021, Octopus’ Powerloop project became the first EV based programme to enter National Grid ESO’s Balancing Mechanism.
