NATIONAL GRID TO DRAIN EV BATTERIES
Nissan LEAF EVs that are plugged into households powered by Octopus Energy will be taking part in this Pilot project.
EV vehicles charging will be used as a type of battery for the National Grid, as a form of reserve power that can be accessed during times of low supply, or high demand.
The use of EVs to power the national grid is aimed to give the country a reserve of stable electrical supply when the transition to renewable energy sources is complete. This will mean that even during moments where renewable energy sources are not running at optimum efficiency, there will still be a reserve power supply available to be tapped.
There are some concerns on this though, as this can result in some car batteries not being charged to an acceptable degree for travel for the next day. This can result in consumers not being able to make important events, or make it to work.
While the above issue has not yet been addressed, there is some green news, both economically and environmentally. Consumers who take part in this project, as well as take part once the project is implemented to the wider nation, can expect an additional 60p per hour that their vehicle was used to power the national grid. While that doesn’t seem much, just 1 hour a night for the year can result in an extra £219. Additionally, the use of electricity that has already been produced through green methods means that sources of power that are not renewable are not needed, reducing emissions and helping the UK achieve their Net-Zero goal by 2050.
