Franzen tips# 1160: Where Property and Motor Vehicles Can Help Each Other

Where Property and Motor Vehicles Can Help Each Other

A recent survey indicated that nearly one-third of Australian households now have some solar panels installed on their roofs, however, last year only one in seven of new solar installations included a battery which is an increase from previous years. The reasons for this are pretty obvious if you have ever been quoted for a home battery, with a well-known one starting with the letter “T” costing about $15,000. While they are expensive, they are also pretty handy, providing power to the house overnight while the panels are obviously not generating any power. During the day, the battery is then charged up again by the solar panels and during summer the battery can be fully charged by around 10 am on a nice sunny day.

So where do motor vehicles fit into this scenario? The topic of electric vehicles (EVs) is a very polarising one in Australia at the moment. However, as Australia no longer has a vehicle manufacturing industry, we need to get used to the idea that eventually, internal combustion engines (ICE) will no longer be powering vehicles and if/when you buy a new car it is likely to be an EV. Most focus on EVs has been on their high cost to purchase, range anxiety and the logistics of recharging, all of which will likely be resolved in the fullness of time.

Unlike our current (ICE) cars, could the battery in an EV be used to power the house? An article this week by “thedriven.io” highlighted a massive opportunity that looms for Australian households. Car batteries (currently) have around 3-4 times more capacity than the typical largest home battery, and yet a car will sit idle most of the night and most of the day for some people. The technology, dubbed vehicle-to-X, could see the powerful batteries inside electric cars used to store cheap or renewable electricity and feed it back into homes, buildings, appliances or the grid during peak demand. Sometimes referred to as bi-directional charging, the prospect of using cars for energy storage is an idea gaining attention around the world. The technology falls into three categories: vehicle-to-grid in which cars export power back into the energy network, vehicle-to-home in which cars power a house or building, and vehicle-to-load where a car’s battery is used to run an appliance.

Smart Energy Council transport lead Audrey Quicke says, “In 10 years, Australia’s electric car fleet is likely to have more battery capacity than Snowy 2.0 – that’s a whole lot of storage on wheels that is parked about 95 per cent of the time.” In addition, by 2050, according to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency ARENA’s latest report, electric cars in Australia will have almost four times the storage capacity needed for the National Electricity Market.

This will obviously require vehicle manufacturers, governments and grid owners to all get on board to ensure this huge opportunity doesn’t go to waste. What an amazing “side benefit” having an electric vehicle could provide to households in the future.