A socio-technical exploration of the Car as Power Plant

Abstract

In the transition towards low-carbon energy systems, the growth of variable renewable energy sources (V-RES) like solar and wind in the electricity systems is calling for more flexibility measures. These are needed to cope with the increased uncertainty and variability that affects the residual demand. Flexibility can be offered by traditional players in the sector, through dispatchable generation, storage, demand response, and increased interconnection. However, there are also increasing opportunities for new actors and roles. Aggregators, for example, can exploit the flexibility of small consumers and trade it on their behalf in the electricitymarkets. This flexibility can also be provided
from other sectors, such as heating and transportation. With the adoption and diffusion of electric vehicles, the aggregated capacity is considered to have significant potential to support the grid in the future. Vehicles are only used 5% of the time for driving. Thus, when parked, they could be used for providing flexibility through storage or providing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) power.