Bidirectional Electric Vehicle Charging

Daniel Real from Advanced Energy will cover his real-world experience on Bidirectional Electric Vehicle Charging

At the seams of vehicle-grid integration, bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) chargers can unlock new value streams through dozens of use cases for residential and commercial buildings. Using only vehicle-to-building (V2B) use cases, one utility has demonstrated monthly gross savings that exceed the monthly lease cost of its EV. Roanoke Electric Cooperative (REC), in collaboration with a team of clean energy organizations, quantified the value of V2B services using a 15-kilowatt (kW) Fermata Energy charger, the first UL-certified bidirectional EV charger. The utility dispatched the battery of a Nissan LEAF S Plus parked at its headquarters. Three use cases were demonstrated: load following, peak load reduction, and backup generator support while the building was islanded from the grid. REC also demonstrated support for reduced system peak demand through a simulated response to demand reduction signals sent by the transmission grid operator. Over 12 months, the combined value streams produced gross savings for REC of more than $3,200 per year per charger, exceeding the monthly lease cost of the EV. This finding underscores the opportunities to reduce the cost of integrating EVs and renewable energy into the grid. Furthermore, a review of home load profiles within REC’s service territory revealed that a 6-kW bidirectional charger could produce approximately 50%-330% more grid value through vehicle-to-grid services than through V2B services alone, i.e., if energy dispatch were allowed to exceed host building demand. This study showed that even a single EV with bidirectional charging can produce significant gross value streams, even in markets with low demand charges.

In his current role at Advanced Energy, Daniel Real provides both project management oversight and technical delivery for Advanced Energy’s Strategic Investment Funds. These internal projects grow Advanced Energy’s library of services and respond to input from Advanced Energy’s Board of Directors.