Electric-vehicle virtual power plant scales up in UK with funding
This article was originally published by Autovista 24 on 15th February 2022.The UK’s first electrically-chargeable vehicle (EV) virtual power plant (VPP), run by ev.energy, has been awarded an additional £295,000 (€352,000) in funding, taking its total finance pot to £754,000. Provided by Innovate UK, the money will be used to scale the VPP, which will help stabilise the country’s power grid as electromobility accelerates.
Energy Savings Trust predicts there will be up to 11 million EVs on UK roads by 2030. Keeping their batteries boosted will require a large and stable power supply, which means ensuring the grid can manage the increased workload. This is where smart-charging, such as ev.energy’s virtual system, will come into play. The platform is capable of reducing the amount of electricity needed to charge EVs during peak times, lessening the impact on the grid, as well as the environment.
‘Localised systems to balance electricity demand, storage and supply are likely to play a vital role in helping the UK get to net-zero,’ said Damien Kelly, innovation lead at Innovate UK. ‘Innovative services using EVs to provide flexibility to the grid have great potential and we look forward to supporting the scale-up and wider demonstration of ev.energy’s maximising grid-services project.’
Power priority
The funding bump from Innovate UK came after the software platform demonstrated a commercial shift in energy consumption from the grid using only battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). In December 2021, the distribution network for London, the south east and the east of England, UK Power Networks (UKPN), issued its first instructions for ev.energy to reduce electricity demand.
The VPP automatically paused charging in Norfolk and Essex where the grid was experiencing congestion. Between 5pm and 6.30pm, power consumption from the vehicles was reduced by 90% compared with the unmanaged baseline. Putting BEV charging on hiatus means greater stability at peak times, and that energy supply can return to them later on when demand has dropped.
