This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will determine the feasibility of integrating existing grid-tied solar inverters with the emerging fleet of electric vehicle storage batteries as a low-cost pathway to the electric transportation energy supply of the future, and to create financial incentives for both electric vehicle and solar energy owners. The proposed project will demonstrate hardware and communications software to couple an existing grid-tied solar inverter and an existing electric vehicle battery and charger to signals from the local Independent System Operator (ISO). The alternative proposed here, which can enable V2G operation for any vehicle equipped with a DC charging port quickly and inexpensively, is to link the inverter either directly to the vehicle battery or through a low-cost ($300/kW) DC-DC converter, along with the existing vehicle charger, to perform this service. The inverter is not currently used during the hours of darkness, and the vehicle is available for charging at night using low-cost off-peak power. Success with this alternative could lead quickly to a network of grid-tied vehicles providing ancillary services during the nighttime hours and utilizing expensive vehicle batteries and solar inverters more effectively than at present.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project results from the emergence of electric vehicles in large numbers and of web-based communication and control technology. This presents a unique opportunity to integrate the energy supply for personal transportation with the electric utility system to create a distributed, remotely-dispatchable electric-power storage capacity. This capacity can provide valuable ancillary services for frequency regulation, synchronized (spinning) reserve and demand management for improved grid stability and capacity utilization. Electric power storage capacity is particularly relevant in relation to renewable power generation, which is uncontrollable due to its dependence on the wind and the sun. At the same time, the revenue from these services can provide an incentive to the owners of electric vehicles by realizing the latent value of their large and expensive electric storage batteries, and to the owners of solar energy systems. Focusing only on frequency regulation, there is an existing nationwide market of approximately $1.8 billion per year for services that electric vehicle batteries can provide better than existing power plants. A technology and a business model are needed for an aggregator to stand between the individual vehicle owners and the ISOs who require the service. Demonstration of a novel approach to this technology with existing vehicles at the Penn State GridSTAR facility in Philadelphia, PA, is the objective of this Phase I project.
A team of researchers at Partnerships One, LLC, and The Pennsylvania State University has demonstrated the technical feasibility of an innovative link to provide electric power storage capability to the 21st Century electric grid and earn revenue to incentivize electric vehicle and solar power ownership. The advent of commercially available electric vehicles with their sizeable electric storage batteries is creating a massive, distributed electric energy storage capability in the U.S. At the same time, multiplying solar Photo-Voltaic (PV) installations with grid-tied inverters are providing a widely dispersed path to make this capability available to the grid. A cost-effective technology to link the vehicle batteries to the solar inverters is the key to better utilization of both these underutilized assets to accomplish Vehicle-Solar-Grid (VSG) integration. This Phase I project, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, has successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of such a link. This achievement required development of a novel interface between the battery and the inverter, which normally operates on the much different voltage-current characteristic of a PV array. The design, development and testing of this interface occupied the bulk of the technical effort of the Phase I project. It has resulted in a U.S. Patent Application on the method and apparatus for VSG, and two Provisional Patent Applications on the hardware to accomplish it.. Success also required integration of the interface with the requirements of the Regional Transmission Operator for ancillary service to the grid, which can generate compensation to the PV system owner. Maintaining a stable, synchronized 60 Hz frequency is a paramount objective of the RTO. Frequency Regulation requires the ability to shed or pick up load very quickly, which batteries can do by switching from disccharge to charge. This capability has been incorporated in the VSG unit by teaming with Customized Energy Solutions, a provider of RTO interface technology and services. Successful demonstration of VSG enables the creation of a distributed, remotely controllable electric energy storage capability of immense value to the electric system designer and operator. The accessible frequency regulation market is approximately $1.8 billion annually in the U.S. VSG also provides "resiliency" to the grid and to electric power consumers by making available local electric energy storage in case of grid outages. The value of this feature has been highlighted by the extensive disruption caused by super storm Sandy. With a low-cost local inverter, VSG can provide power from the vehicle battery for critical local loads and can maintain the PV system in operation to recharge the battery indefinitely until grid power returns. Partnerships One is moving aggressively to commercialize VSG technology. A commercial offering has been prepared and is being presented to potential solar PV and EV customers. This is made possible by current and proposed incentives for renewable energy and electric energy storage with our current technology. Successful further development under Phase II funding is aimed at reducing the cost and improving the capability of the VSG technology so that it will be competitive as special incentives disappear in the future. VSG, because it empowers already purchased but otherwise under utilized assets in the vehicle battery and PV inverter, has an inherent cost advantage versus competitive electric storage only approaches. We anticipate that technology leadership and our proprietary position in VSG technology will lead to a major nationwide business opportunity. The Penn State University Hydrogen and Hybrid Vehicle Research Laboratory and its director Dr. Joel Anstrom have made a major contribution to the development of VSG. The Penn Sate GridSTAR (Grid Smart Training Application Resource) Center has been an excellent venue for its demonstration. Penn Sate Professor David Riley reports that "The V2G demonstration system has been a part of educational and outreach programming at the GridSTAR Center site, and has been presented as an example of smart grid technologies to over 450 visitors including students, policy makers and energy investment leaders." For further information consult an article published on VSG and the GridSTAR Installation on the front page of the January, 2014, edition of Current Events or visit our web site at chargedupcar.com.
