The chances are you won’t have heard of vehicle-to-grid technology, commonly known by its acronym V2G. Yet in the next ten to 20 years, it’s likely to become an increasingly familiar part of our lives, and within 30 to 40 years it could utterly transform our concept of energy altogether, making fuel stations, and perhaps even power stations, a thing of the past. Naturally the national grid remains vital, but V2G turns the whole process into a two-way conversation, making it more ‘democratic’. For example, if the national grid is experiencing especially high demand, EV owners would have the option to sell spare electricity back to the network to help make up any shortfall. While the home-to-car-to-home energy distribution cycle is the most practical way to get across the potential benefits of V2G, this is just one possible configuration. We’re only now beginning to contemplate the ways in which V2G might operate in the future, especially when combined with ‘smart city’ networks and Internet of Things technology (IoT). Office car parks at work could be used to help power the office building itself and visa-versa. Or imagine for a moment the vast carparks that surround airports. If these cars were all EVs, their energy could be utilised to help power local grids while the owners are away. In return the owners might receive free parking or energy credits.
Huffington Post 29th Aug 2017 read more »
