Utilities Join Forces for Plug-In Vehicle Trial

Nov. 5, 2008
Advanced Energy Initiates Evaluation of Smart Charging Technology RALEIGH, N.C., October 30, 2008 --Advanced Energy, in partnership with Duke Energy and Progress Energy, will initiate a smart charging trial of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles ...
Advanced Energy Initiates Evaluation of Smart Charging Technology

RALEIGH, N.C., October 30, 2008 --Advanced Energy, in partnership with Duke Energy

and Progress Energy, will initiate a smart charging trial of plug-in hybrid

electric vehicles (PHEVs). Twelve converted Toyota Priuses will be equipped

with charging management technology from Seattle-based V2Green and deployed

in North Carolina and Florida. The trial will assess the potential of

plug-in vehicles to positively impact electric grid operations, maximize use

of clean energy and prove PHEVs are a viable alternative to today's

carbon-emitting cars.

"This is the nation's first PHEV trial to involve multiple utilities," said

Ewan Pritchard, hybrid program manager at Advanced Energy, the organization

that will lead the design and implementation of the charging management

scenarios to be explored in the trial. "Our collaboration will lay the

foundation for the wide-scale adoption of plug-in vehicles to deliver

cleaner, more cost-effective transportation and diminish our dependence on

foreign oil."

Each of the Priuses involved in the trial will be equipped with a V2Green

Connectivity Module (VCM) to establish two-way communication with the

electric grid and make the vehicles grid-aware. V2Green server software will

be used to manage the flow of electricity to the Priuses, successfully

meeting the needs of both drivers and the grid. When renewable energy, such

as wind or solar power is available, charging behavior can be altered to

maximize the use of cleaner energy. In periods of peak demand, charging can

be delayed or slowed to avoid grid congestion and the need to provide

electricity from high cost sources.

"Developing the necessary infrastructure to enable widespread use of

electric vehicles is part of our balanced strategy to address the challenge

of global climate change, while meeting growing energy needs," said Bill

Johnson, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy

and co-chairman of the Edison Electric Institute CEO Taskforce on Electric

Transportation.

The involvement of both Progress Energy and Duke Energy will allow the trial

to explore the billing and operational requirements of supporting plug-in

vehicle "roaming" between adjoining utility service areas. Many plug-in

vehicle owners will charge their vehicles at home in one service area, then

commute to work and connect to the grid in a different service area.

Valuable insight into driver behavior will result from the PHEV trial,

informing future consumer programs and inter-utility information exchange.

Progress Energy will operate six of the grid-aware vehicles, deploying four

in North Carolina and two in Florida. Duke Energy will utilize three plug-in

Priuses in North Carolina. The University of Florida's Program for Resource

Efficient Communities, along with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural

Sciences extension service, will also participate with one vehicle.

Similar to the hybrid vehicles available today, plug-in hybrid electric

vehicles use both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The primary

difference lies in the PHEV's larger lithium ion battery that can be

"plugged in" and charged at a household electrical outlet. The battery pack

functions as a second fuel tank that can be cost-effectively filled with

electricity. PHEV technology has enabled vehicles to travel 100 miles or

more on a gallon of gas, while producing significantly lower greenhouse gas

emissions.

About Advanced Energy

Advanced Energy is a Raleigh, N.C.-based non-profit committed to a future in

which energy needs are met at reasonable costs and with the least negative

consequences. The organization continues to work collaboratively to

demonstrate that industry, government and non-profits can successfully work

together to improve the environment and encourage the economy. For almost 30

years, Advanced Energy has created economic, environmental and societal

benefits through innovative and market-based approaches to energy issues.

For more information, visit www.advancedenergy.org.

About Progress Energy

Progress Energy, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 250 energy

company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9

billion in annual revenues. The company is observing its 100th anniversary

in 2008. Progress Energy includes two major utilities that serve more than

3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company is the 2006

recipient of the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's

highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence. The company

also is the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and

Associates Founder's Award for customer service. Progress Energy serves two

growing areas of the country, and the company is pursuing a balanced

strategy for a secure energy future. That balance includes aggressive

energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and

a state-of-the-art electricity system. For more information about Progress

Energy, visit www.progress-energy.com.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power companies in the United

States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately four million U.S.

customers in its regulated jurisdictions. The company has approximately

35,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Midwest and the

Carolinas, and natural gas distribution services in Ohio and Kentucky. In

addition, Duke Energy has more than 4,000 megawatts of electric generation

in Latin America, and is a joint-venture partner in a U.S. real estate

company.

About V2Green

V2Green builds and deploys smart grid solutions for utilities. Our

technology establishes intelligent, two-way communication between the

electrical grid and distributed power resources. The flow of electricity to

and from significant sources of load, power storage and generation can then

be adaptively managed to avoid damaging grid stress, cost-effectively

produce essential grid services and increase the integration of renewable

energy in power generation. V2Green's solutions are currently being deployed

in plug-in vehicle field trials with leading U.S. energy companies,

including Xcel Energy, Austin Energy and Seattle City Light. To learn more

about Seattle-base V2Green, please visit www.v2green.com.

Media Contacts:

Advanced Energy:

Camden Watts

919-857-9048

[email protected]

Duke Energy

Dave Scanzoni

704-382-2543

[email protected]

Progress Energy:

24-Hour Media Line

877-641-6397

V2Green:

Mike Brennan

206-283-6908

[email protected]

About the Author

Amy Fischbach | Field Editor

Amy Fischbach is the field editor for the Electric Utility Operations section of Transmission & Distribution World. She worked for Prism Business Media (now Penton) for eight years, most recently as the managing editor of Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro magazine. She is now working as a freelance writer and editor for B2B magazines. Amy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. She serves as the national vice president of the American Society of Business Publication Editors. She can be reached at [email protected].

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