As more fleets convert to electric vehicles, infrastructures and internal systems must be digitized and energy needs to include sustainable resources. Don Wingate, vice president of utility and microgrid solutions North America operations at Schneider Electric, discusses what digitization and electrification mean for fleets and where microgrids fit … [Read more...]
The grid is not prepared for the 21st century
January 10, 2022 By
In the second article of this special report series brought to you by Microgrid Knowledge and Think Microgrid, we'll explore why the electric grid is not prepared for the 21st century. Climate disaster is upon us. We are not ready. Electricity is essential to survival and prosperity in a contemporary world, but the electric grid — the … [Read more...]
Heads Up Microgrid Developers. EVs will Create $30-50B Need for Generation and Storage
June 26, 2020 By
A new report by The Brattle Group finds that electric vehicles (EVs) could spur the need for a $30-50 billion investment in generation and energy storage — a figure likely to catch the attention of microgrid developers. The microgrid industry sees electric vehicles creating new markets for microgrids, particularly when located in areas that … [Read more...]
Can We Really Reach These Big Green Goals?
October 8, 2019 By
How fast the US adopts renewable energy and electric vehicles is likely to influence microgrid growth. So where are renewables and EVs heading? Are the big goals we hear about just aspiration or are they destination? Hawaii, Maine, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are pursuing 100% renewables. About a dozen states have set standards … [Read more...]
Electric Vehicles Are Driving Utility Rates Down
June 24, 2019 By
NRDC's Max Baumhefner, senior attorney for the climate and clean Energy Program, explores how the proliferation of electric vehicles could potentially lower utility bills across the board. Can the addition of more electric vehicles to the grid actually lower utility bills for all customers? A recently updated study demonstrated just that, … [Read more...]
Navigant: Microgrids and Virtual Power Plants Will Come to Rely Upon Electric Vehicles as a Source Power
April 29, 2019 By
When Navigant Research examined nine California microgrids that have a total of 21 MW of generating capacity, it found that the biggest value propositions were renewable energy integration, resiliency and bill savings. But it also found emerging benefits from incorporating charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. “The point is that … [Read more...]
The Electric Vehicle as a Power Plant: A California Utility Shows How it’s Done
February 25, 2015 By
For years we’ve heard about a future where our cars become sort of like mini-power plants. And now San Diego Gas & Electric is showing how it’s done. The California utility has begun bidding resources from a group of electric vehicles and energy storage systems into the state’s wholesale power market. The pilot program, one of the first … [Read more...]
US Air Force Unveils World’s Largest Electric Vehicle-to-Grid Fleet
November 14, 2014 By
And so it begins. For years we've talked about the profound change the electric vehicle will bring to the power grid. And now, in Los Angeles the military will show how it's done with the world's largest vehicle-to-grid project to date. The Los Angeles Air Force Base in California (LAAFB) has acquired 42 plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs), the … [Read more...]
V2G Has a Role in Your Microgrid Strategy
October 17, 2014 By
Vehicle to Grid, or V2G, technology can play a key role in a microgrid's ability to provide grid reliability. Each electric car can send up to 10 kW of power back to the grid. Organizations with large fleets of electric cars can provide a balancing reserve to a utility – reducing the need for energy generation construction. A V2G charging station … [Read more...]
