Southern California Edison is taking the next step in our electric transportation work by developing a “garage of the future” evaluation platform, part of a fundamental convergence of electricity and transportation that can create more sustainable mobile and stationary energy storage systems.
The systems study will help SCE evaluate the grid integration of electric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle charging and discharging, battery energy storage, on-site generation of renewable energy, and next-generation smart appliances and meters. This work links with the Edison SmartConnect™ advanced metering initiative, a program that will replace today’s electric meters with new technology that improves customer service and empowers customers to proactively manage their energy use.
Integrated Energy System
With the potential for large numbers of plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles to connect to the electrical grid in the not-too-distant future, the garage of the future also could provide benefits such as vehicle-to-home emergency backup and occasional peak shaving to reduce strain on the electrical grid during higher-cost, critical daytime energy demand periods.
Given the electricity-transportation convergence, off-peak energy stored in advanced vehicle batteries could help reduce on-peak demand, enhance grid power and reliability, and even support clean photovoltaic (solar) applications.
Overall, the platform and study will help SCE gain valuable insight into how to develop an integrated energy system of the future that enhances the electric grid’s quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
For questions or more information, e-mail evtc@sce.com.
Electricity…Sustaining Our Transportation Future.