V2G Technology
Just imagine: Your electric car could be part of a revolution...
… a clean energy revolution. There is no doubt that crude oil, natural gas and coal are powerful energy providers. Today, they cover the majority of global energy needs. However, even though it took these fossil fuels up to several hundred million years to form, we have considerably exploited their deposits within only the last 150 years. In the process, emissions of greenhouse gases have caused the planet’s climate to change in an unnatural manner. Considering the fact that the world energy consumption is increasing, it is clear that we have to change how we generate and use energy. This includes electric mobility as well as the switch to renewable energy. The challenge is that the availability of wind and solar energy is still too dependent on weather conditions. This would be different if energy from renewable sources could be temporarily stored in the short and long term.
This is where your electric car comes into play. On average, an passenger cars are not in use for around for 23 hours of the day. During that period of time the car could be used as temporary energy storage. What if the energy stored in your vehicle battery could be returned to the power grid at times of increased energy demand? What if this did not result in any disadvantage for you, but in fact would lower procurement and maintenance costs for your electric car? And there is more: what if you could supply your home entirely with your own solar power? This is the vision for Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) solutions; a vision which we at StarckGate and The Mobility House strive towards implementing each and every day.
How does V2G work?
The integration of the electric car as energy storage work in the smart home? Our vision explained in a video
Electricity generation and usage
Wind turbines that remain motionless for days on end are unfortunately a common sight these days. This is not, as you might think, due to a lack of wind. Quite the opposite: wind turbines have to be turned off if they produce more energy than the power grid can accommodate. One field of application for V2G technology is in the collection of excess generated power. Storage capacity is growing along with the number of electric cars included in the Vehicle-to-Grid “swarm”, which enables renewable energy to be put to better use.
Your electric car creates connections
If energy supply exceeds demand, electricity prices fall. Then, energy from the sun, wind and water can be stored in your electric car battery at low cost, while your car charges at the charging station. If demand increases or supply decreases, this energy can be fed back into the power grid in return for a profit. In future, you will determine for how long your car is available as storage, and the point from which you need your car to be ready for use with a full battery, e.g. before a long journey.