Thursday, March 27, 2008
Will Too Many Hybrids Charging Crash the Grid?
A concern has recently been raised that too many hybrid vehicles plugged in and charging at the same time will crash the grid. Duke Energy and the smart grid company, GridPoint both reported in statements issued today that they have found a way for people to both charge their hybrid vehicles without diminishing the power output from the grid.
Both Duke Energy and Gridpoint said they have been testing GridPoint's SmartGrid Platform device to charge up cars after 10 p.m. with positive results. And yes, timing is everything when you're talking about charging up your hybrid.
If the demand for hybrids is at the peak (which is a worst case scenario energy consumption-wise) the United States would need to construct roughly 160 new power plants to handle the usage of hybrid vehicles. And that's if people charged their hybrids up at 5 p.m., which is the time of peak daily power demand on the electricity grid.
Waiting until five hours later at 10 p.m. or later, the hybrids would be charged using smart grid technologies and would mean the United States would only need to add between one and eight additional power plants to handle the demand for power.
"Smart charging is an essential capability for Duke and all electric utilities as PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) enter the market. Through this capability, we're able to reduce stress on the grid during peak periods and keep rates low," said David Mohler, chief technology officer of Duke Energy, in a statement. Mohler joined the board of GridPoint last October.
Previously, in an interview with CNET News.com, GridPoint's Chief Operating Officer Karl Lewis stated that U.S. utilities are not prepared for the stress that the anticipated growth of plug-in hybrids will put on the grid. Lewis said, "If suddenly you have 20,000 or 30,000 rechargeable cars--with maybe 50,000 in a few years--plugging into the grid at night, utilities have to react to that or you'll have serious problems," Lewis said in an October interview. "You see plug-in hybrids becoming a big issue; it's a tidal wave coming at utilities."
Hybrids are a great step forward for clean energy, however our utilities need to catch up and catch up fast or we're all going to be left in the dark.
Both Duke Energy and Gridpoint said they have been testing GridPoint's SmartGrid Platform device to charge up cars after 10 p.m. with positive results. And yes, timing is everything when you're talking about charging up your hybrid.
If the demand for hybrids is at the peak (which is a worst case scenario energy consumption-wise) the United States would need to construct roughly 160 new power plants to handle the usage of hybrid vehicles. And that's if people charged their hybrids up at 5 p.m., which is the time of peak daily power demand on the electricity grid.
Waiting until five hours later at 10 p.m. or later, the hybrids would be charged using smart grid technologies and would mean the United States would only need to add between one and eight additional power plants to handle the demand for power.
"Smart charging is an essential capability for Duke and all electric utilities as PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) enter the market. Through this capability, we're able to reduce stress on the grid during peak periods and keep rates low," said David Mohler, chief technology officer of Duke Energy, in a statement. Mohler joined the board of GridPoint last October.
Previously, in an interview with CNET News.com, GridPoint's Chief Operating Officer Karl Lewis stated that U.S. utilities are not prepared for the stress that the anticipated growth of plug-in hybrids will put on the grid. Lewis said, "If suddenly you have 20,000 or 30,000 rechargeable cars--with maybe 50,000 in a few years--plugging into the grid at night, utilities have to react to that or you'll have serious problems," Lewis said in an October interview. "You see plug-in hybrids becoming a big issue; it's a tidal wave coming at utilities."
Hybrids are a great step forward for clean energy, however our utilities need to catch up and catch up fast or we're all going to be left in the dark.
Labels: buy a hybrid, hybrid, hybrid vehicles, hybrids, hydrogen, hydrogen hybrid
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