Highlights
- Nissan and E.ON establish 20 vehicle-to-grid (V2G) chargers at Nissan’s European Technical Centre in Cranfield.
- The project, co-funded by Innovate UK, will test and demonstrate how V2G can generate additional revenue.
The Project
As part of a trial to demonstrate how electric vans and cars could play a role in supporting the UK grid, the E.ON and Nissan have deployed 20 vehicle-to-grid (V2G) chargers at Nissan’s European Technical Centre in Cranfield.
The project will test and demonstrate how storing and sharing electricity in fleet vehicles’ batteries can generate additional revenue for participating companies as well as supporting the power grid. The project is now recruiting further participants for the trial and plans to deploy V2G chargers for organisations across the UK.
In collaboration with UK Power Networks, the trial will go on to explore opportunities for customers to earn revenues from this as a service. The V2G package for participants in the trial will be offered at a subsidised price through grant funding made available through Innovate UK. Vehicles compatible with the technology being used in this project are currently the Nissan e-NV200 and the Nissan LEAF.
The V2G platform used on the trial utilises a combination of E.ON’s existing Virtual Power Plant software as well as a charger operating system provided by E.ON’s e-mobility partner Virta.
Funding
The project is part of the V2G programme, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), in partnership with Innovate UK, country’s innovation agency that provides funding to develop and demonstrate innovative solutions.
Decarbonisation of transport
The UK is working on reducing carbon emissions in all sectors; particularly in transport which is one of the highest emitter of greenhouse gases. The country is making significant changes in its energy system and transport infrastructure to facilitate and drive the successful transition to cleaner transport.
V2G Technology
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is identified as one of the key technologies that can play a key role in the decarbonisation of transport and energy systems. The technology allows electricity to flow in both directions to and from electric vehicle batteries, allowing energy stored in the battery to be sold back to the grid when demand for power is high. Thus by connecting Electric Vehicles (EVs) and coordinating their charging and discharging could can provide flexibility to help balance the supply and demand of electricity. So it can also minimise the costs of EV battery charging hence reducing costs for consumers.
V2G trial by E.ON and Nissan
E.ON, an international energy company focused on smart grids and customer solutions, and Nissan, a well known vehicle manufacturer, have established V2G project consortium –known as e4Future– that also includes Newcastle University, Imperial College London, Northern Powergrid, UK Power Networks and National Grid ESO.
