Car parks offer potential for 4.3GW grid flexibility

author: FutureCar Staff    

Imagine this scenario: you're going on vacation for two weeks and your electric vehicle will be sitting idle at the airport car park. You have two options - either keep it plugged in the whole time to maintain the battery charge, potentially taking up a charger that someone else might need, or leave the car unplugged and idle until you return. But what if there was a third option? UK Power Networks is currently testing a new scheme called 'Park and Flex' that could provide an alternative solution.

The 'Park and Flex' initiative involves electric vehicle drivers plugging in their cars to EV chargers that support bidirectional charging. This means that the energy stored in the car's battery can be leveraged by the grid to meet peak demand. Instead of just keeping the battery topped up, the EV driver can benefit from cheap electricity by charging the car when energy prices are low and injecting power back into the system during peak times.

Early research from the study suggests that over 1.3 million homes could be powered by using electric car batteries in long-stay car parks. This could potentially provide 4.3GW of flexible electricity demand, playing a significant role in the transition to a low carbon economy in London, the East, and South East of England.

The study used advanced modeling and forecasts from UK Power Networks and energy specialist Baringa to analyze the potential impact of electric vehicles on the grid. Long-stay car parks, such as airports, were found to offer more benefits compared to shorter-term solutions like hotels or supermarket car parks. The duration of a customer's stay can provide network operators with valuable insight into spare power or capacity that can be utilized at any time.

If implemented across the 140,000 long-stay parking spaces in the areas UK Power Networks serves, it is estimated that £1.3 billion in flexible energy savings could be achieved by 2050. Ian Cameron, Director of Customer Service and Innovation at UK Power Networks, envisions a future where dormant vehicles can be used as the building blocks for a large-scale flexible battery, contributing to a new green energy supply without any effort required from customers.

The Park and Flex project is being developed in collaboration with Fermata Energy and energy consultancy Baringa, with support from Innovate UK's Strategic Innovation Fund. As the study progresses, the aim is to explore the national rollout of this vision and identify the customer incentives necessary to make it a reality.

Tony Posawatz, CEO of Fermata Energy, highlights the potential of bi-directional (V2G) charging in supporting UK distribution networks during peak events. He emphasizes the value that can be unlocked in public car parks, particularly at airports, where thousands of vehicles are parked for extended periods. This first-of-its-kind Park and Flex study aims to demonstrate the scalable benefits of V2G technology for both grid networks and consumers.

FutureCar Staff