Lately, there has been much focus on new shining objects like AI
(ChatGPT), PtX, hydrogen, energy islands, and the massive European expansion of offshore wind. However, we should not turn our attention away from the fact that:
There will be 1+ million EVs on the roads in Denmark by 2030.
It will require heavy lifting and the cooperation/coordination of many public and private players to integrate and intelligently charge these Light-Duty and MHDV vehicles (Vehicle-Grid-Integration = VGI).
And many of the vehicles will be bidirectional (V2X).
There are few V2X capable EVs in Denmark (Nissan Leaf) but
in the next years, there will be an “avalanche” of EV brands with
bidirectional capabilities.
Is Denmark ready to take advantage of these new (V2X storage) resources to:
– Provide energy flexibility and lower the cost of EV ownership
– Provide the cheapest short-term flexibility for the grid
– Reduce the cost of upgrades to the distribution grid
It is a massive undertaking to scale VGI/V2X involving public and
private players (figure):
– Laws to foster the deployment of VGI/V2X solutions
EU RED: Ensure national policy frameworks do not discriminate against participation in the electricity markets of small or mobile systems such as EVs
– Interconnection rules (Grid codes, grid protocols, safety)
– Interconnection process scaling (speed, cost, ease)
– Standards (adoption of international standards – which ones?)
– Interoperability (between chargers and EVs)
– DC or AC V2X or both
– Tariffs (for new V2X business models, TOU, real-time pricing)
– Taxes (Skat DK) to be supportive of V2X business cases
– Financing of public and private charging infrastructure
– Future-proofing the charging infrastructure (adapt to new
standards, technology, and use cases)
– Reliability, Resilience
– Education of consumers and businesses on the value of V2X
DTU has already championed groundbreaking VGI/V2X
projects like Edison, Nikola, Parker, and ACES and thereby built a strong competence foundation.
However, California(CA) is now at the forefront of VGI/V2X leveraging
its innovation eco-system, universities, considerable resources, and its great market power. A bill SB 233 was introduced in Feb (not yet passed) to mandate that all new vehicles sold in CA be bidirectional starting in 2027.
And “What happens in CA doesn’t stay in CA”
Let’s learn from CA’s experiences to better understand the
implications of V2X heading our way, get all the ducks in a row and be well prepared.
Denmark, DTU, and our innovative technology companies (and
startups) should play an important role in the “BIG BANG” – Transportation meets Electricity, which will rival that of the Internet transformation.