Study: EVs power up Melbourne after major blackout
Real-life V2G experiment sees 16 electric vehicles power Australia during electricity grid emergencyA study designed to test the real-life reliability of electric vehicles as a power source (via V2G capability) has wielded promising results, according to JET Charge, which used a fleet of 16 EVs to send power back to the grid during a major outage earlier in the year.
The EV charging infrastructure company said the experiment formed part of a research project led by the Australian National University (ANU) and was the first-ever test in Australia to prove a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) system can support the national electricity grid.
During the study, a fleet of 51 Nissan LEAF EVs were installed across Canberra with V2G chargers “that had been specified, procured and delivered with JET Charge’s exclusive technology”.
That includes tech – designed alongside ANU and Realising Electric Vehicle-to-grid Services (REVS) – to discharge power from EVs and send it back to Australia’s national power grid.
On 13 February, a blackout in Melbourne – caused by major storms – blew over high-voltage transmission towers, triggering the disconnection of 90,000 homes as well as Loy Yang coal power station and two wind farms, says JET Charge.
Control system technology then allowed the fleet of EVs to monitor the grid when plugged in, detect when it as out of balance and respond, sending signals to all connected charging stations that instructs the vehicles to discharge.
JET Charge says the 16 EVs in Canberra were plugged in at properties – four were charging, 12 were idle – and responded within seconds ‘by rapidly discharging short bursts of electricity into the grid’.
It’s the first time in the world this type of V2G response has been deployed in a real-time emergency says Dr Bjorn Sturmberg, lead researcher at ANU.
“In total, the vehicles provided 107 kilowatts of support to the national grid,” he said.
“To put that in perspective, 105,000 vehicles responding in this way would fully cover the backup required for the whole of ACT and NSW.”
The study also identified the need for ‘industry adjustment’, with Dr Sturmberg saying once those vehicles had provided power for ten minutes, some resumed charging by default.
He says by stopping just 60,000 vehicles from charging, the power would have remained on for those 90,000 customers.
The report suggests this issue can be solved by requiring EV manufacturers to program their vehicles to stop charging during a grid emergency, with an option for drivers to override for urgent charging.
JET Charge chief executive Tim Washington says V2G is an invaluable source of support for the grid.
“Last year, our team coordinated the market certification for the first and only V2G charger sold in the Australian market,” said Washington.
“This project was the next step in proving that V2G charging can provide power solutions for the grid during irregularities and also generate revenue for customers by participating in what’s known as the contingency frequency control market.”
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