在电动汽车正式投放市场之前，美国非常担心用户为汽车充电而导致输电网负担过大。尤其是多数消费者下班回家，电视及空调电源多在打开状态的晚上，如果再加上为电动汽车充电，电力需求便会急剧增加，从而加大输电网的负担。
该实验室开发的SCC装置，用户可自己管理电动汽车的充电时间。该装置可与名为“智能电网”的输电网技术的高度技术结合使用。采用该装置，可自动避开高峰时间充电。如果结合采用高峰时段电费高于普通时段的措施，还具有可令充电移至高峰时段以外，并降低用户电费的优势。
SCC配备了近距离无线通信规格的收发IC，支持智能仪表用规格。因此可接收来自电力企业的电费价格设定等信息，用户在家中也可管理充电。
Engineer Michael Kintner-Meyer (front) and his team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (from left: Nathan Tenney, scientist; Frank Tuffner, engineer; Vilayanur Viswanathan, engineer; Richard Pratt, engineer, developed the Smart Charger Controller (pictured) to manage peak demands in the electric grid once a mass of electric vehicles hit the road. The Controller tells an electric vehicle's battery when to start and stop re-charging based upon existing stress in the grid. Credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Electric vehicle owners can plug in their cars and forget about them, knowing they'll get the cheapest electricity available and won't crash the grid - using a new technology called the Smart Charger Controller. Developed at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the controller automatically recharges electric vehicles during times of least cost to the consumer and lower demand for power. Widespread use of these devices could help advance a smart power grid.
Electric vehicles will ultimately reduce the nation's dependency on oil. While the new vehicles will serve as an additional source of power demand, they also could contribute to an even "smarter" grid if equipped with controller technology.
"If a million owners plug in their vehicles to recharge after work, it could cause a major strain on the grid," said PNNL engineer Michael Kintner-Meyer. "The Smart Charger Controller could prevent those peaks in demand from plug-in vehicles and enable our existing grid to be used more evenly."
That efficiency translates to a more stable grid and cheaper power.
"Using the device could save up to $150 a year for electric vehicle owners who pay based on when they charge their vehicle," Kintner-Meyer said.
How it Works
In this short video, PNNL Engineer Michael Kintner-Meyer explains the concept of managing peak demand and provides a first look at how the Smart Charger Controller actually works. Credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Electric vehicles will become widely available starting in 2011. The current Administration supports a goal of one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. A previous PNNL study showed that America's existing power grid could meet the needs of about 70 percent of all U.S. light-duty vehicles if battery charging was managed to avoid new peaks in electricity demand.
The Smart Charger Controller does just that. Owners program the controller to charge at a specific time of day or night or at a set price point. The controller uses a low-range wireless technology to communicate with the power grid and determine the best and cheapest time to recharge vehicles. By charging vehicles during off-peak times, the controller saves consumers money.
Previous PNNL studies with household appliances show that "smart" technologies also save the grid from brown-outs with little impact to the consumer. Grid Friendly™ technology inside the Smart Charger Controller senses stress conditions on the grid. When the grid says more power is needed, the controller can temporarily stop charging the vehicle until the stress subsides.
This instant reduction in charging load, multiplied on a large scale with many vehicles, could serve as a shock absorber for the grid. The technology would relieve load instantly and give grid operators time to bring new power generation sources on line to stabilize the grid - a process that usually takes several minutes.
The Road Ahead is Now
With more electric vehicles on the horizon, road-ready, smart charging technology can be used now, according to Kintner-Meyer. Advancing technologies like the Smart Charger Controller today will enable the new generation of electric vehicles to be "smarter" once they're available commercially, he noted.
Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
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