Effort Provides Policy Recommendations, Identifies Viable Methods to Advance VGI
The California Public Utilities Commission, in collaboration with sister state agencies, recently released a Vehicle-Grid Integration Workgroup final report. The 10-month effort brought together a broad range of stakeholders — utilities, vehicle manufacturers, technology companies, environmental groups, and municipal fleet owners — to provide a portfolio of Vehicle-Grid Integration, or VGI, policy recommendations and identify viable use cases to advance VGI. These experts analyzed thousands of VGI use cases and came up with more than 90 recommendations for specific actions the CPUC, other state agencies and local governments could undertake to remove barriers to VGI.
CPUC Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen, also on Veloz’s Public Policy Board, said, “I am hopeful that many of these near-term actions could improve California’s environment and economy while strengthening our grid. I think policy-makers and stakeholders across the U.S. and the globe could consider how these recommendations can help them, as well.”
The report contains recommendations such as:
- Reward effective VGI solutions through electricity rates and access to wholesale markets
- Demonstrate and deploy technologies and standards to enable VGI services
- Provide solutions to urgent issues, such as tapping electric vehicles, to provide back-up power for homes and critical infrastructure, and managing electric vehicle charging to reduce customer bills and avoid capital-intensive upgrades to utility and customer electrical systems
The report also identifies VGI use cases and recommends pathways to continue to refine knowledge about how to best advance VGI strategies.
Click here for more information about the CPUC’s efforts to promote zero-emission vehicles and the DRIVE Order Instituting Rulemaking related to the report.
Please send inquiries to CPUC contact, Ed Pike.