Two Nissan LEAF EVs at Plymouth State University (PSU) have provided 1 MWh of energy to PSU’s ALLWell Center, offsetting some of the building’s electricity needs.

The university is reducing its electricity bill and supporting grid resilience by taking part in a special rate program developed by local utility New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC), electrification software provider Bellawatt and Fermata Energy, a developer of bidirectional EV charging platform.

According to PSU, the program is groundbreaking because it brings together EVs, a bidirectional EV charging system and advance notice on hourly electricity pricing called the Transactive Energy Rate (TER). This enables the university to decide when to use the LEAF batteries as mobile energy storage assets.

Under the program, PSU sent energy stored in the onboard batteries of the EVs to offset the ALLWell Center’s building load for approximately 90 hours during a six-month period. 1 MWh is equivalent to the electricity used by about 330 homes for one hour.

Through the NHEC application, TER forecasts electricity pricing one day in advance. Daily alerts about the next day’s hour-by-hour electricity prices are sent by NHEC to Fermata Energy’s AI-powered bidirectional charging platform, which then analyzes the rates, simplifies the information and advises PSU about times the vehicles can discharge the batteries to maximize value for the university. The university controls whether to discharge by parking the EVs and plugging them into the Fermata Energy bidirectional charger.

“V2G is working today. Bidirectional EVs are valuable assets that can help stabilize the grid by dispatching energy stored in batteries—when and where that energy is needed most,” said David Slutzky, founder and CEO of Fermata Energy.

Source: Fermata Energy