Making EVs and the Grid Work Together: A San Diego-Based Study

We present a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) simulation study to reduce the electrical peak load in the San Diego area by taking advantage of the energy stored in Electric Vehicles (EVs). Specifically, our study focuses on using EVs and Vehicle-to-Grid/Everything (V2G/V2X) technologies as a solution to reduce costly grid infrastructure upgrades, in conjunction with the expected growth in transportation electrification in California. The results can be used to inform the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of the potential of V2G/V2X as mobile distributed energy resources (DERs). If vehicles are charged during the day with power from local solar arrays mounted over parking lots, they could then take the charge home and deliver some of it to the grid or to homes, potentially ameliorating the well-known ``duck curve" issue, but without the need for costly infrastructure upgrades. Our study supports the conclusion that EVs and V2G/V2X technology have the potential to reduce peak load in the worst-case scenario by discharging just a fraction of energy from EV batteries.