• Anert launches V2G tech demo with ISGF and the University of Delaware.
• EVs equipped with bi-directional tech enable two-way energy flow.
• Project supports Kerala’s draft policy on smart grid and V2G integration.

The Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (Anert) has installed a pilot project on Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology at its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram to introduce the evolving concept to the public.

Anert describes the concept as a game-changing one that transforms electric vehicles (EV) into mobile energy assets. V2G-enabled EVs can send power back into the grid, helping balance energy supply and demand. EVs charged during the daytime at relatively lower tariffs can export the power back to the grid during peak hours, AnerT officials said.

Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty inaugurated the demonstration project at the Anert headquarters at PMG on Friday.

According to Anert, the demonstration project is being implemented in association with the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) which has technical assistance from the University of Delaware. The International Sustainable Energy Forum is also supporting it.

“If we can indigenise that technology, then the costs will also come down significantly. Now the technology is imported,” Anert director Narendra Nath Veluri said.

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The two-way energy exchange between EVs and the grid is enabled through a bi-directional charger and a bi-directional modular power unit (BMPU). The first is a sophisticated EV charger that can facilitate energy transfer in both directions. BMPU converts alternating current to direct current while charging and the opposite while discharging.

Vehicles equipped with V2G capabilities can be directly linked to the bidirectional charger for powering the grid through charging and discharging. EVs equipped with this feature are still uncommon. Anert utilized one of its EVs by substituting the DC Fast charging feature with a BMPU. During the demonstration, officials from Anert are explaining how the e-vehicles are retrofitted.

The Anert demonstration project aligns with a proposed regulation on renewable energy created by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission that aims to introduce the concept in Kerala's swiftly evolving renewable energy field. The draft indicates that distribution licensees must support the smooth incorporation of V2G-capable EVs into the grid, depending on certain conditions.