UK Power Networks (UKPN) has launched a new website showing global vehicle-to-grid (V2G) projects, as it goes “full throttle” in its support of the technology.
The website, V2G Hub, shows 66 projects located across four continents. These include thousands of electric vehicles (EVs) and associated charging infrastructure.
Ian Cameron, head of innovation at UKPN said: “We’ve scanned the world to find out what’s happening in the V2G landscape and pulled it all together in one place that people can access freely, to help progress technology.
“We are dedicated to being a leading enabler and facilitator of electric vehicles. Creating important resources like this that benefit the whole industry, is a key part of what we do.”
Of the 15 countries with projects, the US has the most with 18, of which the bulk are in California. The UK follows this with 15 projects, including seven in the capital.
The scale and type of projects varies, from plans to make the Portuguese island of Porto Santo completely fossil fuel-free, to a Japanese project delivering 4,000 charge points.
The website was set up by UKPN as part of its TransPower project, and received funding from Innovate UK. Consultancies EVConsult and Everoze were partners in the project.
Marco Landi, V2G and electric vehicle lead at Innovate UK, said that there was an increasing interest in V2G technology due to the “advantages for customers and the whole energy system.”
“Innovate UK is at the forefront of V2G innovation: together with BEIS and OLEV we launched in the UK what is currently the most ambitious programme of real-world V2G trial in the world, with more than 2500 EVs involved.”
The site builds on a report released in October 2018 by EVConsult and Everoze entitled V2G – A Global Roadtrip. It looked at the lessons that had been learnt from the 50 V2G projects at the time, concluding that while 98% of the projects looked at the technical aspects of V2G, only 27% focused on social impact, which will hold back deployment.
Other findings included how Renault and Mitsubishi dominate the market, and that DC chargers were the most common featuring in 93% of projects.
The Hub highlights the benefits of V2G technology, which can increase flexibility by providing a means for EVs to be operated as commercial energy storage. This can generate additional income for vehicle owners and offer a further source of capacity for electricity networks.
V2G technology is still new, but interest is quickly building as networks increase flexibility in an effort to balance increases in intermittent renewables and secure energy networks.
A report produced by the University of Salford, Good Energy, Upside Energy and Honda Motor Europe, as part of the HAVEN project (Home as a Virtual Energy Network), yesterday found that UK households could save up to £300 a year using V2G technology. But major roadblocks remain, including high technology costs and a need for scale.