EV batteries alone might temporarily support the grid as the globe moves to renewable energy sources, Electrek reports citing a recent study published in Nature Communications.
The study
The research title was “Electric vehicle batteries alone could satisfy short-term grid storage demand by as early as 2030.”
The researchers use an integrated model to calculate the total global EV battery capacity obtainable for grid storage. That said, they included the following factors: EV battery deployment, battery degradation, and market participation.
In addition to the “Rest of the World region,” they evaluate the three major EV battery markets of China, the EU, and the US.
Findings
The following applications for EV batteries were discovered by the researchers in addition to powering vehicles:
· vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications
· stationary storage applications once the vehicle’s life ended
It is worth noting that the researchers noted that projections are “conservative.”
Nonetheless, they claim that modest participation rates of between 12 to 43 percent are required to meet the world’s demand for short-term grid storage.
In the majority of regions, that demand might apparently be satisfied as early as 2030. And after 2030:
“We estimate a total technical capacity of 32-62 TWh by 2050. This is significantly higher than the 3.4–19.2 TWh required by 2050 in IRENA and Storage lab scenarios.”
Researchers
Gaps
The research would be better if it considered other significant factors, including vehicle depreciation, incentivization, etc.
Expectedly, it would be hard to encourage EV owners to share the power of their EVs without proper incentives.
Electrek also noted that the V2G technology is yet to be officially introduced in the EV industry.
Nonetheless, this is indeed an interesting study that may encourage more researchers to address the gaps. After all, innovations start with research.
