Will our electic grid system be ready to support more plug-in hybrid?

Question

Plug in hybrid cars are one of the alternatives to replace our oil consuming vehicles. However, in order to generate power to make our cars run, we will need to recharge the batteries of the cars by utilizing our electrical power supply. Is our power grid ready to support more plug in vehicles? If not, what should the power supplier do?

Answer 1

Battery vehicles will actually help optimise the power utiliastion of the grid.

Especially if we wish to move to variable renewable sources like wind. and you can use home micro-generation too

http://www.acpropulsion.com/technology/v...

http://www.zerocarbonbritain.com/content...

basically if a car stores enough power for 200+miles, but the average daily journey <20miles, that is a lot of spare capacity ditributed around the grid, which the car owner can sell back at high tariff when demand peaks or the wind stops.

Answer 2

Why try to depend on the local power grid?  If you're a homeowner, you can invest in a photovoltaic system.  They cost about ten to fifteen thousand dollars initially, but will almost eliminate your dependence on paying for electricity.  And that electricity generated can power your electric or hybrid vehicle.  Imagine that - virtually no energy bills and a tip-toe environmental foot print!  And when you generate an electrical surplus, you can actually sell it back to the power supplier.  I know that Lennar already offers solar shingles as an option on their new homes to customers in California.  So it's not a far-fetched concept.

Answer 3

Yes

As long as most people are happy to recharge off peak.

The power station where I work, currently winds down to less than 40% of its capacity for most of the night. Outside of peak demand periods there is some 18 hours where power stations are not operating flat out. There is plenty of capacity to charge a very large number of plug in vehicles.

There is also the capability to use a vehicle to grid system to help reinforce the grid during peak periods. (Using the vehicles battery to generate grid power). So rather than straining the grid more "plug in" electrics could help stabilise demand.

Just bear in mind that demand for coal, gas and uranium will increase as a result. These are not being renewed as fast as we are using them either. We still need a big push for renewable energy sources.

Answer 4

that technology, I mean cars that are powered by batteries and nothing else, is yet in very limited use, mainly because the technology for rechargeable batteries, with sufficient capacity and flexibility, is still too expensive.

but assuming that technology becomes commercial, and a multitude of cars start using the grid to charge up their batteries, the grid is loaded during some hours of the day, and most of the time it is used only to partial capacity, so I suppose people will be encouraged to use the grid at night, and get the energy the buy at lower prices.

but the main thing is, once there are batteries that could be used to drive a car for 200 miles or more between recharges, the same batteries could be used for home, in order to save costs of electricity.

Answer 5

Good point!

I am all for plugin hybrids, but I doubt that they will ever sell enough to seriously tax the electrical grid like you say.

Personally I think the entire point of having a plugin hybrid is to use your own solar power to generate the electricity. If your just using dirty coal electricity to recharge your car, even though coal generated electricity is better for the environment than the gasoline industry, your not doing that much better.

If your going to go plugin, then get a few solar panels too and really go green.

Answer 6

We will have to tear down street lights. so as to have the power for electric guzzling cars

Answer 7

Not until they raise your light bill to up grade  it