The California Lighting Technology Center is expanding its research capacity to lead a new effort demonstrating vehicle-to-building (V2B) mobile battery energy storage (MBES) as emergency power backup at a Caltrans’ facility in Oakland, California.
This $5.3M project is funded with $3M from the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge Program (EPIC) Program and $2.3M in match funds from project partners.
Project partners include UC Davis' Energy and Efficiency Institute and Green Technology Laboratory, Nuvve Holding Corp., the California Department of Transportation, and the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project.
This project will equip a subset of Caltrans heavy duty electric vehicles (HDEVs) to serve as V2B-enabled emergency backup power supplies and install bidirectional DC rapid charging stations (DCRCS-B) to facilitate electricity flow between the HDEVs and the building. In addition to providing a clean, backup power supply for the demonstration facility and related safety services for the community, the project will serve the larger goal of evaluating and quantifying the benefits of using heavy-duty electric vehicles as emergency power supplies for critical operations within commercial facilities.
The primary objectives of this project are to:
- Design, procure, and install the V2B system at the demonstration site including the automatic transfer switch, two DCRCS-B units and all other necessary site modifications.
- Evaluate the system’s performance and ability to serve as an emergency battery backup for critical loads.
- Evaluate the system’s ability to serve as an alternative to grid-supplied electricity under a demand-response program and/or similar demand management event.
- Quantify system performance under all operating scenarios according to the approved project metrics.
- Quantify potential statewide impacts of using V2B and MBES as part of demand-side energy management programs including costs and savings.
- Evaluate the impacts of V2B operation on electric vehicle batteries including battery degradation.
- Evaluate the impacts of V2B operation on building occupants and HDEV operators.
- Create and deliver a V2B education program in collaboration with project partners to increase EV and V2B awareness and adoption in the community surrounding the demonstration site and across the state.
The project duration is anticipated to span from October 2022 to June 2026.