NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

PEV Integration with 

Renewables

Tony Markel

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

June 18, 2014

NREL/PR-5400-61873

VSS114

This presentation does not contain any proprietary, confidential, or otherwise restricted information.
2

Overview

• Project Start Date: 10/1/2012

• Project End Date: 9/30/2014

• Percent Complete: 75%

• Barriers addressed

o Grid impacts of PEV 

adoption

o Value opportunity for PEV 

grid integration

o Interaction with Renewables

• Total Project Funding: 470K

o DOE Share: $400K

o Contractor Share: $70K 

(including in-kind)

• Funding Received in FY13: 

$100K

• Funding for FY14: $300K

Timeline

Budget

Barriers

• GE Global Research

• Ideal Power Converters

• Project Lead: National Renewable 

Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Partners
3

Relevance – Additional Value to Enhance Marketability

@ $5/day/vehicle

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

PEV Grid Services Provide Similar 

Value to Purchase Incentives

Specific Building Load Profile 

Analysis Gives Storage Attribute 

Requirements
4

Relevance – Renewable Integration Impacts

• In both cases net 

demand peaks during a 

solar dynamic event

0 5 10 15 20

-500

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Time of Day

Power [kW]

NREL Main Campus - June 18, 2013

Total Demand

PV Power Generation

Net Demand

0 5 10 15 20

-500

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Time of Day

Power [kW]

NREL Main Campus - June 11, 2013

Total Demand

PV Power Generation

Net Demand
5

Milestones

Month / 

Year

Milestone or 

Go/No-Go Decision

Description Status

9/2013 Report: 

“Communications 

and Integration of 

Fast Charging with 

Renewables Report 

Developed Offering 

Technology and 

Strategy Guidance”

• Highlighted the growing fast charge 

systems market in Japan

• Showed the impact of solar system 

orientation on fast charge system 

costs

• Tested a fast charge + storage 

integration scenario

100%

9/2014 Project reports 

covering value 

creation from 

vehicle integration 

with renewables

• Focus on how photovoltaics (PV) 

influences demand charges and how 

vehicles can contribute

• Leverage solar inverter technology for 

vehicle export power integration

60%
6

Approach – Electric Vehicle Grid Integration Strategy

• Objectives:

– Infrastructure planning supporting vehicle 

adoption

– Operational benefit identification with 

V2x communications and powerflow

• Integration Strategies

– Renewables and the Grid

• Charging and discharging in sync with RE 

generation or grid ancillary services

– Integration with Buildings and Campuses

• Maximize use of local renewable generation

• Minimize peak demand with charge management and export power functions

• Why?

– Savings and revenue generation to complement fuel savings value

• Challenges and Research

– Advancing communication between vehicles and load management tools

– Understanding alignment of grid and building loads with vehicle utilization

– Development of low-cost infrastructure options enabling V2G functions

Fuel 

Savings

V2G 

Value

Accelerated 

Return on 

Investment

RE = renewable energy

V2G = vehicle to grid
7

FY13 Milestone Report Highlights

• Solar orientation should be 

considered with respect to fast 

charge usage and rate schedule

• Load reduction from solar offers 

opportunities for fast charge 

without demand charge

• Storage system control with respect 

to fast charge and renewables was 

tested in Vehicle Testing and 

Integration Facility (VTIF) lab

RIPD = Renewables Integration Platform Development
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Laboratory Resources Applied to Tech Introduction

Source: M. Simpson, NREL

Source: Burns & McDonnell

5x 60-kW Bi-directional Stations 

Integrated with Microgrid Operations Scenario 

Simulation

Tech 

Development

System 

Confirmation

Source: M. Simpson, NREL

System expected to provide:

• ~2K–3K/mo of electricity cost reduction

• Improved RE microgrid integration

** Office of Electricity Funded over 3 yrs
9

Both Combo and 

CHAdeMO standard 

inputs to vehicle

IPC Unit provides 2 

DC ports, 1 AC port, 

60 A, 0–500 Vdc

Ford TCE Battery 

Interface

IPC 3-Port Inverter

SCADA-controlled 

AC and DC 

Electrical Bus

Leveraging Solar Inverter for V2G

Source: NREL

Source: NREL

Source: NREL

SCADA = System Control and Data Acquisition

TCE = Transit Connect Electric
10

NREL Parking Garage EV Load Profile Comparisons

• Peak timing was predicted well

• Tail longer than modeling prediction

o Most vehicles using 3-kW charge rates

o User-selected delayed charging through car

o Multiple charges per day

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

time of the day

power reqd by vehicles (kW)

Immediate Charging of Garaged PEVs

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

time of the day

power reqd by vehicles (kW)

Just in Time Charging of Garaged PEVs

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

time of the day

power reqd by vehicles (kW)

Staggered Charging of Garaged PEVs

0 5 10 15 20

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Time of Day

Power [kW]

Total Power to the EVSE's for One Year

Model Predictions

EVSE = electric vehicle supply equipment
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EVSE Power Usage Analysis by Time of Day

• Average power 

demand is about 

10 kW

• Maximum peak is 

about 40 kW

• Daily peak typical 

around 10 a.m.

• Slight demand 

increase after 

lunch break

Date range: 03/05/2013 ~ 03/04/2014

@Day 356, 24 vehicles – 9 Chevy Volts, 12 Nissan LEAFs, 2 Mitsubishi iMievs, 1 Ford C-Max
12

Leveraging Smart Low-Cost EVSE FOA Development and 

Integration with NREL Building Energy Management

• GE provided unit

• Operational testing expected 

1yr starting summer 2014

•Open & Standards Based 

Protocol

Source: GE Global Research
13

Estimating V2B Value and # of Units by Building Size

• @6-kW, 1–2.5M units would be needed for 20% of building stock

V2B = vehicle to building
14

Responses to Previous Year Reviewers’ Comments

Comment 1: Related to partnerships, How were partners 

chosen? Should include more Utilities and Fueling Retailers.

The technology and systems application for Vehicle Grid 

Integration are still at too early a stage to justify utility and fuel 

retailer partnerships. Results of this work have been presented 

at EPRI EV Infrastructure Working Council meetings.

Comment 2: Renewables influence is important and should be 

considered.

More emphasis was placed on understanding and integrating 

with renewables, including leveraging existing inverter 

technology for V2G functionality.
15

Collaboration and Coordination with Other Institutions

• Existing Collaborations

o DOE Office of Electricity – SPIDERS V2G Deployment for 

Microgrid Integration

o Ideal Power Converters – Integration of Vehicles, 

Renewables and Storage

o GE Global Research – Testing and Demonstration of Low 

Cost Smart EVSE integration with Building EMS

• Planned Collaborations

o Mitsubishi, Nissan, Via Motors, Chrysler, NRG Energy – V2G Systems Development and Testing

o INL, ANL, PNL, LBNL, and ORNL on Systems Requirements 

Development for Smart Grid Vehicle Integration
16

Remaining Challenges and Barriers

• Limited understanding of the value stream scope

and scale, and system requirements to unlock 

vehicle grid integration values

• Clear details on the risks, costs, and associated 

benefits

• Evolving but still unclear standards for methods of 

communication and control for vehicle to grid 

applications
17

Future Work Focus for FY14 and FY15

INTEGRATE

Integrated Network Testbed for Energy Grid Research and Technology Experimentation 

Enable EERE technologies to increase the hosting capacity of the grid by providing grid services in 

a holistic manner using an open source, interoperable platform. 

INTEGRATE project will:

a. Characterize the grid services and grid challenges associated with energy efficiency (EE) and 

renewable energy (RE) technologies when integrated into the grid at scale

b. Utilize an open-sourced, interoperable platform that enables communication and control of 

EE and RE technologies both individually and holistically

c. Develop and demonstrate high-value grid services that EE and RE technologies can provide 

holistically at a variety of scales
18

Summary of EVGI and INTEGRATE Projects

• Electric Vehicle Grid Integration (EVGI) and INTEGRATE are addressing 

the opportunities and technical requirements for vehicle grid 

integration that will increase marketability and lead to greater 

petroleum reduction

• Address Core Questions

o Quantify use cases, performance, and life impacts of grid applications

o Contribute to development of open interface standards

o Identify and quantify potential grid integration values

• Opportunities to be Researched

o Managed charging systems providing flexibility, demand response capability

o Bi-directional power to minimize local demand charge and grid frequency 

control

o Local power quality monitoring and enhancement value

o Emergency power system design enabling vehicles to support disaster 

recovery
Technical Back-Up Slides
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NREL Energy Systems Integration Facility

Smart Power Lab

Buildings & Loads

Power Systems

Integration Lab

PV Simulator

Energy Systems

Integration Lab

Fuel Cells, Electrolyzers

Outdoor Test Area

EVs, Power Transformers

Rooftop PV & Wind Energy Storage Lab

Residential, Community

& Grid Battery Storage,

Flywheels & Thermal
21

DOE ACTIVITIES 

• Work with industry to encourage product development

• Help define high priority grid services for 

characterization

NEW NREL ACTIVITIES

• Characterize the performance of existing devices (EVSEs 

and vehicles) to provide grid services that include 

managed charging, bi-directional (V2G/V2B) and other 

advanced systems (wireless and fast charge).

• Define system interface and component performance 

requirements needed to support high-value grid 

services 

• Highlight key use cases and answer how grid service 

applications impact battery life and vehicle 

performance.

2.0

Comm., 

Information, 

Computation 

Infrastructure

1.0

Physical Characterization 

of EE & RE Technologies

3.0

Developing 

Holistic Grid 

Services

Increasing & 

Enhancing the 

Hosting 

Capacity

Characterization of Vehicles for Grid Services

INTEGRATE – Activities Proposed in Task 1 for Lab-Directed Work 

IPC

Princeton

Smith EV 

(Fritolay)

AV

Ford TCE Eaton

Delta

GE

Siemens

NRG, BMW, 

U. Del.

PEV 5

480V

208/240V

Smart 

Homes

Smart 

Workplace

Simulated 

Grid

OE Awardees

PNNL Licensee

NREL CRADA

PEV 1

PEV 2

PEV 3

PEV 4

Fast Charger w/ ESS (ABB, Coda, 

Eaton, AV, Toshiba, Sharp)

PEV

Managed Charging V2B/V2G

PQ Impact

Management Solar

Wireless Charge

(Momentum, ORNL, Witricity)

PEV

NREL LDRD
22

2.0

Comm., 

Information, 

Computation 

Infrastructure

1.0

Physical Characterization 

of EE & RE Technologies

3.0

Developing 

Holistic Grid 

Services

Increasing & 

Enhancing the 

Hosting 

Capacity

Development of Data, Communication, and IT “standards” to support open integration:

DOE ACTIVITIES

• Support development of common data 

interoperability/taxonomies

NEW NREL ACTIVITIES

• Contribute to industry standards bodies (UL, SAE, IEC) to 

implement comm. protocols under development, including 

SEP2.0, IEC 68150, J2836/2847 specific to vehicles

• Focus on standard, secure, open architectures to encourage 

industry evolution

• Leverage current small-scale demos at Ft. Carson, LA Air 

Force Base, and Univ. of Delaware

Ft. Carson Deployments

INTEGRATE – Activities Proposed in Task 2 for Lab-Directed Work 

Univ of Del./PJM Demo
23

2.0

Comm., 

Information, 

Computation 

Infrastructure

1.0

Physical Characterization 

of EE & RE Technologies

3.0

Developing 

Holistic Grid 

Services

Increasing & 

Enhancing the 

Hosting 

Capacity

Evaluation of intelligent, integrated system to provide grid services

DOE ACTIVITIES 

• Review industry proposed-use cases (e.g., SAE 

and CAISO)

NEW NREL ACTIVITIES

• Review use-case scenarios to highlight 

monetary and non-monetary flow of value to 

resource owner

• Analysis and demonstration of value 

proposition for electric vehicles to provide grid 

services

• Leverage battery life models to quantify 

potential impacts of uses cases 

125,000 

Vehicles?

New CA Ruling to Drive Storage Market

INTEGRATE – Activities Proposed in Task 3 for Lab-Directed Work 

Source: Envision Solar
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Bi-Directional Power 

Flow

Develop and evaluate integrated 

V2G systems, which can reduce local 

peak-power demands and access 

grid service value potential

Emergency Backup 

Power

Explore strategies for enabling 

the export of vehicle power to 

assist in grid outages and 

disaster-recovery efforts

Local Power Quality

Leverage charge system power 

electronics to monitor and 

enhance local power quality 

and grid stability in scenarios 

with high penetration of 

renewables

Managed Charging 

Evaluate functionality and value of 

load management to reduce 

charging costs and contribute to 

standards development

Electric Vehicle Grid Integration at NREL

Vehicles, Renewable Energy, and Buildings Working Together

Developing Systems Integrated Applications

Life Impacts

Can functionality be added with little or no 

impact on battery and vehicle performance?

Information Flow and Control

How is information shared and protected 

within the systems architecture?

Holistic Markets and Opportunities

What role will vehicles play and what value can be 

created?

Vehicle-to-Grid Challenges