A coalition of companies has started an early test of vehicle-to-grid technology in Massachusetts. The project lets electric vehicle owners send power back to the grid during high demand periods. Utilities will compensate participants through an existing program.
The test involves Eversource, National Grid, EnergyHub, Sunrun, and the Mobility House. It builds on the ConnectedSolutions program, which already allows homes to draw from residential batteries during demand response events such as heat waves.
Chip Silverman, director of grid services at Sunrun, said the Massachusetts effort will provide key lessons for scaling the technology. Russell Vare, vice president of vehicle-grid integration at the Mobility House North America, noted that discharges occur only during peak events, not daily.
Seth Frader-Thompson, president of EnergyHub, said in a statement that falling hardware costs and maturing standards will make vehicle-to-grid more accessible in coming years. The approach uses existing EV batteries to reduce the need for new storage facilities and transmission lines.