Keith Hardy is the Program Lead for Interoperability and Grid Integration Center at Argonne National Laboratory, managing the development and commercialization of enabling technologies for vehicle-to-grid integration. i.e., energy management systems, communication controllers, metering, smart charging and diagnostic devices. He is also one of the Key note speakers at Roads to the Future 2021.
What will your presentation be about?
The 2021 Federal Government’s budget resolution included a specific congressional directive to the US Department of Energy (DOE) to address vehicle-grid integration (VGI). The Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) and the DOE national laboratories have responded by preparing a Report to Congress detailing VGI opportunities, challenges, and research needs as well as establishing the EVs @ Scale Consortium of national laboratories. The presentation will describe the technical objectives of the Consortium and show examples of VGI implemented at Argonne as well as pilots of enabling technologies to be implemented in the public sector.
Which are the main challenges and/or opportunities regarding the relation between your research area and the electrification of our transport systems?
Argonne’s research focuses on VGI/SCM, i.e., smart charging of electric vehicles and integration in an energy management system that includes a network of controllable building systems, solar power generation and battery storage. The purpose is to demonstrate that integrated control of these devices can mitigate grid impacts as well as provide grid services. Implementation challenges include:
- the lack of consensus on EV-EVSE-grid communication protocols and devices with ‘smart’ non-proprietary interfaces,
- the charging infrastructure’s ability to respond adequately to support grid services or mitigate the impacts of high-power charging, and
- the lack of smart, interoperable connectivity and diagnostic tools for grid integration
What are the potentials for V2G-technology to have a key role in the energy transition?
In the longer term, V2G has the potential to supplement local or regional grids. But in the short term, the value proposition of V2G must be quantified to justify implementation due to:
- relatively high additional cost for charging equipment capable of supporting V2G,
- the complexities associated with vehicle aggregation to provide services, and
- the reluctance of many vehicle manufacturers to support warranties on vehicle batteries if they are used for V2G.