Honda is involved in a demonstration project for vehicle-to-grid technology. The project is based on research from the University of Delaware, supported by NRG Energy, to show the controls, regulatory requirements and market participation rules for selling energy storage from vehicles into the regulation market.
Honda’s role includes supplying an Accord plug-in hybrid that has V2G capabilities to the University for investigations into the benefits the technology could bring both for vehicle owners and the electricity grid.
The Accord that is being used in the demo project is fitted with a bi-directional charger that allows the battery to charge from, and discharge to, the grid. Power from the battery can be requested by the grid operator and in turn, the battery charges itself from the grid at times of excessive supply.
“As the U.S. adds more intermittent resources to the grid, finding a lower cost energy storage technology that also benefits electric vehicle drivers is a great opportunity,” said Denise Wilson, NRG executive vice president. “We see this demonstration by Honda as an important step in the development of vehicle to grid technology.”
