- 26 Mar 2024 03:44
#15309005
https://www.utilitydive.com/spons/whats ... ar/707476/
There is a lot of research going into Electric Utility strategies to satisfy demand loading for EVs. On the surface, it would seem that Utilities are going to need a lot more capacity to supply EV power. Not so much.
Many Utilities already have a different rate structure for peak demand hours, typically 3-7pm on hot summer days, versus low usage hours (midnight to 5 am). A Massachusetts utility charges double during peak hours. Under that scenario, EV owners would plug-in only during off-peak hours to avoid the higher costs. This would help Utilities manage their peak load, with little or no additional infrastructure. One can think of EVs as manageable storage devices for Utility companies to store excess power during non-peak hours or during hours where renewables are producing heavily. Some utilities are also discussing a reverse mechanism, wher an EV can send power to the grid.
Utilities are also concerned that peak hours could change as EVs become more prevalent. For example, If a lot of charging is done after midnight then midnight could become the new peak.
Utilities may be offering programs through a phone app, where they decide when an EV will charge, and offer large pricing discounts to customers who enroll. If a customer needs an immediate charge, he/she would have the ability to override the utility control through the phone app, but the billing rate would be higher.
So imagine that you get home, the batteries on your electric car are near an empty charge, but you do not immediately begin charging because the electricity prices do not come down until after midnight. Your charger may even be on a preset timer to not start charging until midnight.
You arrive home at 6:00 in the evening. But then before your car begins charging, something unexpected comes up and you have to go out again, at 7:00, 8:00, or even 10:00. But the batteries in your car are not charged, even though you've been home for hours.
I'm going to point out that, if the cars need to be charged at night due to excessive power load on the infrastructure during the day, then it is going to be less likely that the power is going to come from renewable energy. Solar energy does not work during the night.
What a lot of people do not realize is that storing huge amounts of energy in batteries is very expensive. If solar energy had to be stored in batteries to be used at night, it would probably be more than twice as expensive. You'd basically be using solar panels to charge a battery, which will then send energy through an inefficient power distribution system, to finally charge the other battery in a car.
There is a lot of research going into Electric Utility strategies to satisfy demand loading for EVs. On the surface, it would seem that Utilities are going to need a lot more capacity to supply EV power. Not so much.
Many Utilities already have a different rate structure for peak demand hours, typically 3-7pm on hot summer days, versus low usage hours (midnight to 5 am). A Massachusetts utility charges double during peak hours. Under that scenario, EV owners would plug-in only during off-peak hours to avoid the higher costs. This would help Utilities manage their peak load, with little or no additional infrastructure. One can think of EVs as manageable storage devices for Utility companies to store excess power during non-peak hours or during hours where renewables are producing heavily. Some utilities are also discussing a reverse mechanism, wher an EV can send power to the grid.
Utilities are also concerned that peak hours could change as EVs become more prevalent. For example, If a lot of charging is done after midnight then midnight could become the new peak.
Utilities may be offering programs through a phone app, where they decide when an EV will charge, and offer large pricing discounts to customers who enroll. If a customer needs an immediate charge, he/she would have the ability to override the utility control through the phone app, but the billing rate would be higher.
So imagine that you get home, the batteries on your electric car are near an empty charge, but you do not immediately begin charging because the electricity prices do not come down until after midnight. Your charger may even be on a preset timer to not start charging until midnight.
You arrive home at 6:00 in the evening. But then before your car begins charging, something unexpected comes up and you have to go out again, at 7:00, 8:00, or even 10:00. But the batteries in your car are not charged, even though you've been home for hours.
I'm going to point out that, if the cars need to be charged at night due to excessive power load on the infrastructure during the day, then it is going to be less likely that the power is going to come from renewable energy. Solar energy does not work during the night.
What a lot of people do not realize is that storing huge amounts of energy in batteries is very expensive. If solar energy had to be stored in batteries to be used at night, it would probably be more than twice as expensive. You'd basically be using solar panels to charge a battery, which will then send energy through an inefficient power distribution system, to finally charge the other battery in a car.
- By Istanbuller
- By KurtFF8