During a severe storm in Canberra, the power supply to tens of thousands of homes was disrupted. However, the power was restored using the batteries of electric vehicles, which supplied energy to the Australian electricity grid.
“It’s the first time in the world this type of vehicle-to-grid response to an emergency has been demonstrated,” stated Dr. Bjorn Sturmberg, Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University and lead author of the study.
“It shows electric vehicles can provide the backup we need in an emergency like this.”
Dr Sturmberg’s team managed a fleet of 51 EVs across Canberra that monitor the grid whenever they’re plugged in, ready to inject short bursts of power to stabilize the system during sudden power losses.
“They’re essentially big batteries on wheels,” he explained.
During the blackout, 16 EVs were plugged in at various properties around Canberra. As programmed, these vehicles immediately began discharging power into the grid. “In total, they provided 107 kilowatts of support to the national grid,” added Sturmberg.
“105,000 vehicles responding in this way would fully cover the backup required for the whole of the ACT and NSW. For context, there were just under 100,000 EVs sold in Australia last year,” he added.
The team believes more needs to be done to balance the increased use of EVs with grid security, especially as many owners charge their vehicles simultaneously in the evening.
Sturmberg said that during the February emergency, the vehicles provided power for ten minutes before resuming charging by default. He said, “There would be little cost or inconvenience in delaying charging for an hour or two in this kind of situation.”
Ross De Rango, head of energy and infrastructure at the Electric Vehicle Council, emphasized that vehicle-to-grid technology presents a significant opportunity for Australia, potentially reducing power bills and facilitating the closure of coal and gas-fired power stations sooner.
“We don’t see a future where anyone can draw energy out of a consumer’s car without their consent. This level of consumer protection is baked in at a very basic level – because it’s the driver that decides if the car is plugged in or not,” he said.
