Eversource, National Grid, EnergyHub, Sunrun and The Mobility House announced a joint effort to test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities in Massachusetts.
Under this effort, qualifying residential customers of Eversource and National Grid in Massachusetts will be able to enroll their V2G-capable electric vehicles (EVs) in ConnectedSolutions. The existing ConnectedSolutions program uses flexible capacity from thermostats, batteries, and commercial and industrial resources to reduce grid strain, and Eversource and National Grid will be leveraging those capabilities to test how they apply to V2G.
“ConnectedSolutions is an important part of our strategy to deliver safe, reliable and affordable service,” said David Roman Ubeda, Senior Program Manager at National Grid. “V2G may provide additional opportunities to customers in support of managing their energy bills while advancing long-term sustainability across Massachusetts.”
With more than 150,000 EVs on the road and an increasing number of bidirectional-capable models available, Massachusetts is sitting on a large and growing energy reserve. The introduction of vehicle-to-grid capabilities enables drivers to give back to the grid, turning every parked EV into a vital tool for a more reliable energy system.
National Grid is also currently leveraging V2G for light-to-medium-duty fleets within ConnectedSolutions, beginning with school buses, while Eversource is in discussions with districts as part of its ConnectedSolutions+ offering.
“ConnectedSolutions is a nation-leading model for implementing virtual power plants, enabling us to actively partner with customers to help ease the strain on the electric grid,” said Tilak Subrahmanian, Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility. “We are proud of the impact our demand response efforts have had so far, and we are excited to test the capabilities we’ve built within ConnectedSolutions on new innovations, such as V2G.”
News item from ConnectedSolutions
