Thought Leadership Forum : Electric Vehicle Integration Into the Smart Grid of the Future – G2V & V2G
September 28, 2010
Hosted by UCLA-WINMEC, and UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center

http://winmec.ucla.edu/evforum/

Recent advances in information and communications systems and battery technologies, in combination with substantial importance given by society to reducing greenhouse gas/carbon emissions, have resulted in dramatic thrusts towards accelerated innovations in electric vehicles (EVs) and the smart and renewable energy infrastructure necessary to fuel and support them. Products such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, and Ford Focus Electric, are in the process of creating mass markets for electric vehicles in the U.S. The utilities on their part are working towards enhancing their infrastructure through their own investments as well as those from the DOE Stimulus ARRA Grants, and this requires massive changes in their distribution as well as their transmission systems. If 25% of all vehicles were EVs today, the current infrastructure in the U.S. would have a difficult time supporting the charging of these EVs – substantial technological, infrastructure and behavioral changes would be required to do so in a scalable and efficient manner. Some utilities have reported numbers which indicate that even a single 220V EV charger may during peak consumption hours overload its transformer. Therefore, the current infrastructure needs to be upgraded both from a capacity standpoint as well as from a flexibility and power routing/control standpoint. Adding capacity is far more expensive than adding intelligence and smart power routing capability, and the eventual solution will require an innovation combination of both. Certainly, adding auxiliary power sources at the edge of the power network such as residential solar PVCs to feed into the grid would help from a capacity standpoint, but using such alternative fuels so as the move the energy around where it is needed from where it is produced will require a very sophisticated and smart grid.

While adding capacity and adding smartness are challenges – they are also opportunities. There are other unique opportunities that the growth of EVs can provide in the context of the Smart Grid. Due to the addition of a large number of batteries by way of these EVs there is the potential to aggregate them to create an energy storage buffer which can absorb excessive power during low-load periods such as during the night, and become a source of electrical power during high-load periods such as a hot summer’s afternoon. This ability can help substantially with Demand Response which is a key and yet challenging problem for the utilities. This source of energy can also provide buffer power for smoothing out frequency fluctuations resulting from mismatched demand (generation versus consumption) – and therefore could be used for Demand Dispatch by the utilities. All of these needs and capabilities will require the integration of sophisticated technologies including communications, wireless, sense-and-control, Internet, mobile computing, cloud computing, Lithium Ion and other battery technology, superconductors, etc.

This forum will bring together researchers, utilities (distribution and transmission), technology providers, service providers, EV and automotive companies, renewable generation companies, and government together to create Thought Leadership around the field of electric vehicles and their integration into the Smart Grid of the Future.

Current Speakers

Previous WINMEC SmartGrid Speakers

Topics include (but not limited to):

• Wireless Technologies for communications and control of EV systems
• Monitoring and sense-and-control of charging
• Software systems, mobile computing and cloud computing for EV management
• Smart Charging Infrastructure
• Battery Characteristics
• Power systems advancements
• Superconductors, sensor-enabled transformers, PMU (Phase measurement units)
• EV Fleet management technologies and services
• Making the case for utilities, customers and government
• V2G and G2V
• Issues involved in back fill to the grid
• Infrastructure at sub-stations, transformers, homes
• Smart charging infrastructure and scalability
• Time/location shifting, aggregation
• Utility Perspective – demand response, demand dispatch
• Automotive Perspective
• Environmental issues and benefits
• Grid Impact
• Distribution and Transmission considerations
• Energy considerations
• Tiered optimization, optimizing at the appropriate level
• Scaling up to large urban areas such as Los Angeles
• Infrastructure and investments
• Role of renewables in EV integration, especially Solar and Wind
• Locating intelligence in the system
• Standards and Interoperability
• Cybsersecurity
• Power quality, reliability, and, stability effects as a result of EVs
• Customer Adoption, Customer Behavior and Customer Response
• Pricing models for charging stations, roaming across territories
• Advanced visualization, data sharing and analysis
• Government Role – Regulations, Public voice, pricing models, incentives for EV’s and renewables
• Government Balance – State, Local and Federal and how they collectively coordinate activities
• Research and Technology Funding – Role of DOE, NSF, DOT, EPRI, NIST in Technology Development