Could Plug-In Vehicles Help Store Renewable Energy?
Electric cars not only cut down on fossil fuel consumption and help with global warming. They may also contribute to a more efficient power grid. That’s the conclusion of a group of researchers from the University of Delaware, and the good news for drivers is that they could even make some money while their cars are idle. The idea is that all-electric and plug-in hybrids could be used as energy stores and backups to the power grid when they are parked, using a system called V2G – vehicle-to-grid. As quoted in the New Scientist, Willet Kempton, who led the Delaware research team, indicates that the average car in the U.S. is driven an average of only one hour out of every 24 and combustion-powered vehicles are useless while off the road. But electric and hybrid vehicles could provide the power grid with reserve electricity while they are not being used. One car wouldn’t make much of a difference, but a fleet of hundreds or thousands of cars could provide substantial stability to the gri
