Using electric vehicles as grid storage blasted as another 'green fantasy'

WND ^ | February 12,2023 | By Jonathan Lesser

[Hojczyk]

Here’s the math. Suppose that, on a cold winter’s day in 2050, all 3.5 million EVs are connected to the state’s power grid. None are being driven and all are fully charged. And suppose that improved battery technology means each provides an average of 100 kWh of electricity. That’s 350 million kWh in total, or 350 gigawatt-hours (GWh).

Sounds like a lot. According to the most recent forecast prepared by New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), which oversees operation of the state’s electric generating plants and transmission system, total electricity demand in 2050 will be just under 200,000 GWh. That’s an average of 540 GWh per day. So, on an average day these EVs could provide around 15 hours of electricity.

But extra electricity will be most needed on cold, windless, and cloudy winter days, which are not uncommon for New York. According to NYISO, electricity demand on such a day will peak at almost 45 gigawatts. If that load persisted for an entire day, it would be over 1,000 GWh of electricity. Suppose, though, total electricity consumption on a peak day is just 50% higher than an average day, or around 800 GWh. Then those 3.5 million EVs could supply enough back-up electricity for just 10 hours.

In reality, of course, not all of those EVs would be connected to the power grid. Many would be in use. And not all of them would be fully charged. If only 50% of total EVs are available to supply electricity to the grid, they would supply just five hours of back-up.

Moreover, once those batteries were drained, they would have to be recharged. Were a second consecutive cloudy, windless day to occur – again, not uncommon in New York – millions of EVs would sit useless in garages and parking lots.

[TexasGator]

“You posted: “My cars suit idle most days.” Hence, I was telling you how to take advantage of different power rates in the day without having to spend money on an EV you’d hardly drive.”

I still need to drive. Your option doesn’t allow that.

[Tell It Right]

My suggestion involves keeping your ICE cars. No need to replace them with an expensive EV if you don’t drive enough for the gas savings to warrant the EV cost. If your only interest in an EV is to use as backup power and rate swaps, you can accomplish that with an inverter and batteries in a much cheaper and more efficient way.

For example, my inverters allow me to control when the grid pulls and greed feeds would happen— not the utility controlling it. I don’t have that kind of control with the EV—I can’t tell it to put power onto the grid.

One thing I’d be concerned about with the utility controlling it is they’d decide when my EV battery is drained. I might need to drive after they drained the EV. If you instead implement it with home batteries, draining those doesn’t mean lack of mobility. It would mean having to pull from the grid (presumably with cheaper rates).