In the past few days, the California electric grid has been stretched to the limit because of high demand at peak hours induced by unusually hot weather. To prevent further catastrophic grid failure that would have far-reaching consequences beyond the state borders, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is mandating that electric utility companies use rolling blackouts in an attempt to curb demand at key peak times (typically from 2 pm to 9 pm). During these periods, Nuvve has been actively using its resources to provide needed grid support from the batteries we control.
Nuvve, the pioneer and world leader in vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G), uses GIVe™ – our V2G software platform– to regulate batteries from electric vehicles (EVs) to form a virtual power plant. Nuvve can then dispatch controlled amounts of energy from these EV batteries at key times to provide energy to the grid. It is important to note that the driving needs of EV owners are always prioritized.
Additionally, Nuvve has been working with a large battery (5MWh) which is part of the INVENT project, an EPIC project grant from the California Energy Commission, to provide much-needed energy to wholesale markets at peak demand times.
V2G (and V2H – vehicle-to-building) has also been identified as a solution for providing emergency back-up in case of blackouts. EV batteries, including the large batteries from electric school buses, may be positioned at key locations to provide back-up emergency power. Blackouts can occur for multiple reasons such as when a natural disaster occurs or to prevent grid shutoffs when there are strong wind and wildfire risk situations.
In the current energy shortage scenario, however, the value of V2G lies in storing energy in the EV batteries during low demand times and providing it at high peak times in order to prevent grid failures and add resiliency to the power system. The number of EVs in California could result in tens of GWh of storage that could be harnessed to deliver this power with V2G.
Nuvve will keep working in conjunction with the California energy system to provide its innovative technology which will ensure a more resilient grid, enable better use of renewable energy sources, and provide a lower cost of electric transportation to vehicle owners.
