Electric Vehicles As Distributed Energy Resources

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is a smart charging technology that enables electric vehicle (EV) batteries to give back to the power grid. V2G-enabled EVs can act as distributed energy resources (DER) to provide additional capacity to support and stabilize the grid during times of heavy demand. 

Balancing the electricity supply from generators to meet the volume of electricity demand is essential to prevent any compromise to the reliability and stability of the grid, which can potentially lead to power outages. The addition of DER, including V2G-enabled EVs, poses new challenges to maintaining this balance.

Connecting V2G-enabled EVs to the grid is extremely complex, and both EV and EV supply equipment (EVSE) developers must ensure their products conform with standards to ensure safety, reliability, and power quality. 

As with most disruptive technology, the transition to a V2G ecosystem brings new challenges that must be addressed to ensure grid stability and reliability. Four of those challenges appear below: 

• Transitioning conventional power grids from large-scale centralized synchronous generators to multiple inverter-based DERs. 

• Integrating diverse renewable energy systems from solar to wind and hydropower. 

• Incorporating various battery energy storage systems with myriad cell chemistries and different architectures. 

• Ensuring the interoperability between new EV models and EVSE charging stations.

This eBook explores the exciting frontiers for V2G enablement, and covers the following:

• Changing grid architectures

• Balancing the grid with V2G-enabled EV / EVSE

• V2G compliance standards across the world

• Design and test challenges for DER manufacturers

• Overcoming V2G test challenges

It concludes by highlighting some automated emulation and test technology for V2G testing to help DER manufacturers slash compliance testing from months to weeks.