Exploring Vehicle 2 Grid Technology
Have you really given a thought as to how exciting can a ride on an electric vehicle be? It sounds really cool when you have a smart vehicle or what is called a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in other words. You manage to make it to your workplace in record time and all you need to do is recharge the batteries overnight to get your vehicle ready for the grind of the following day. Since the energy is sourced from an electric supply, there is no scope for dirty emissions coming out of the car. With so many benefits for the user, you can spare a thought for people who are responsible for creating, testing and marketing such vehicles. V2G jobs involve all these and much more.
V2G is an abbreviated term for vehicle-to grid technology. By the use of this technology, electric vehicles not only source the power from the grid but also send the power back into it. The batteries of the car are used as a storage system that acts as a buffer that attempts to balance the frequent fluctuations in the system. These fluctuations are expected to become much more steep in the future given the increasing reliance on the use of renewable energy sources.
The car when parked can be plugged into a grid when it is not in use and the grid draws the energy from the battery of the car. Power plants can utilize the energy sourced in such a way and use them when needed. There are three different types of V2G systems. The first of these are cars that make use of fuel to generate power and supplies this additional power to the grids. The second category of cars is the one that can be plugged into the power grid. There is also another type of V2G system that makes use of a solar powered vehicle to charge its batteries and then transfer the additional power back into the grid for future use.
Vehicle 2 grid jobs involve the use of the latest technologies that would eventually end up taking advantage of the electricity stored in the battery of the vehicle at times when the demand for electricity is high, especially during the summer months. This would minimize the chances of blackouts.
The biggest potential of V2G technologies lies in the fact that it can be integrated with other renewable energy sources and this significantly reduces the carbon emissions. In order to enable the fact that the system functions smoothly, the power plants need to create just adequate power to meet the demand. The amount of power generated and the amount required needs to be balanced. In case of a major imbalance, the power grid could undergo a surge and stop working all together.
Developing such a system is not at all easy. There are numerous obstacles that need to be overcome during the process. Several business models have been proposed for V2G technologies that also lay down the financing options. The cost of developing and integrating the system is a point of consideration whereby electrical and automotive technologies are merged together. V2G holds the potential to increase the utility of vehicles. This also enables the vehicles to supply electricity at crucial times, when the demand for the same is high, at a reduced cost and by completely eliminating harmful emissions.