San Diego Gas & Electric chooses way to utilize Electric Bus power during Peak Grid Demand
Clean energy solutions provider Nuvve Holding Corp. has partnered with utility firm San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) to support the latter’s Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) through efficient utilization of the energy storage capacity of electric school buses, to fulfil energy demands during peak times.
As part of the arrangement, electric school buses fitted with Nuvve’s Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) charging technology can connect with the utility’s grid via Nuvve’s GIVe platform to transmit stored energy back to the grid during emergency load reduction events, thus meeting increased energy demands while reducing load on the grid.
This program also opens new revenue opportunities for school districts, as the qualifying SDG&E customer fleets participating in the ELRP are eligible to receive $2 per kWh for verified load reduction in the process. This earning could be used by the school districts to offset their electric fleet conversion costs or for other initiatives.
“Nuvve’s powerful energy aggregator provides a great revenue-generating opportunity to customers, while also guaranteeing that EVs will always be properly charged and ready to drive for school routes,” said Gregory Poilasne, Co-Founder and CEO of Nuvve. “Electric school buses offer a natural and compelling bi-directional charging solution born from their batteries, which are equipped with a substantial amount of energy storage capacity. In addition, the operating needs for ESBs play a critical role – while the buses are plugged in and not being driven, they can be helping the grid when energy demand rates are typically at their highest.”
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy selected Nuvve to work with various government agencies, utilities and electrification industry leaders on vehicle to grid technology.
The San Diego Unified School District in April was awarded a $9.6 million electric bus grant from the California Air Resources Board. The grant will help fund clean energy transportation for schools in more heavily polluted areas.