Nissan and Marubeni
Letchworth Garden City
Commitment to innovation and the environment
RenEnergy took part in a “new future” energy project that explored how UK businesses could leverage advanced electric vehicle (EV) charging capabilities. As part of our ongoing quest for innovative solutions and our commitment to supporting the UK’s effort to increase EV adoption, RenEnergy joined a selection of market-leading companies on a Proof of Concept (PoC) with Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation. The PoC aimed to explore the commercialisation of service offerings that leverage Vehicle to Grid (V2G) and Vehicle to Building (V2B) technology, whereby electronic vehicles store surplus energy from decentralised power generation facilities, such as roof-top solar panels and solar carports, and supply energy to buildings when needed. The PoC ran at Norton Way Nissan, Letchworth Garden City, a car dealership under Marubeni.
The technology has the potential to cut costs and the CO2 emissions across the power system. V2G is a smart charging technology that enables vehicles to communicate with the power grid. With V2G, the charged power from a car battery can be pushed back to the grid at peak times and/or in the case of an emergency. V2G has enormous potential to deliver major savings - both in financial terms for electricity system operators and vehicle fleets, and in environmental terms, by significantly cutting CO2 emissions across the power system.
V2B, on the other hand, creates a balance within the local environment. The electric vehicle is used to help to increase self-consumption of the energy produced on-site (demand charge avoidance). The financial benefits of using stored energy during peak are proven.
Solar scenarios
In addition to EV V2G and V2B scenario testing, the discovery project would be exploring behind the meter optimisations of on-site solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and EV charging, whilst accounting for site demand, energy tariffs and connection constraints. Energy management technology that provides AI and analytics software focussed on building energy efficiency and cost reduction, was installed to integrate with the Nissan dealership building, V2G EV chargers, 24.1kWp roof mounted solar PV system and 19.5kWp solar carport.
Throughout the year, the PoC ran behaviour simulations to account for demand levels, EV usage and other factors that could influence optimal business operations in the future. This holistic approach would allow the project team to consider appropriate tariff structures and services that account for EVs and behind the meter requirements for businesses seeking a total energy solution.
“Bringing together leaders in the energy and technology space is imperative, as we consider the ways in which we can positively contribute to the UK’s net-zero transition.” He added, “I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in support of UK businesses wanting to play an active role in the energy transition.”
Tomoki Nishino, General Manager, Power Business Unit, Marubeni Europe plc
Setting the scene
The UK government passed legislation in June 2019 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and is advancing policies to realise a low-carbon society. In the power sector, there has been a shift from a one-way supply structure, whereby large-scale power plants generate electricity and supply it to consumers, to a bi-directional supply structure, in which consumers may also own renewable power facilities and produce and consume green electricity, selling surplus electricity to the grid. Also, with the recent growth in large-scale renewable energy such as offshore wind power, which generates a variable amount of electricity according to the weather conditions, there is an increasing need for grid stabilisation through supply and demand adjustment.
In the car industry, the UK government has announced its policy to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles beginning in 2030, and the take-up of EVs is expected to continue growing. Under such circumstances, the requirement to provide one-stop solutions, for instance electricity supply and energy management services for homes, buildings and offices through the use of EVs, is expected to increase further in the future.
Considering this exciting environment, Marubeni took the lead in launching this PoC, working with various subsidiaries and partners. By studying the development and commercialisation of Vehicle to Building and Vehicle to Grid services through this PoC, Marubeni aims to contribute to the realisation of a low-carbon society. RenEnergy was thrilled to be a part of this forward-thinking initiative.
Note that all estimated performance figures are calculated using industry-standard systems and norms, assume ideal operating conditions, and would have been estimated as at the time of the installation. CO2 equivalent analogies source Nissan images