Dive Brief:

• Southwest Research Institute (SRI) has put in place an aggregated electric vehicle charging system that can be used as a demand response resource in Texas.
• The system, the first ever approved by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), automatically stops charging when the grid falls too far below its normal voltage levels.
• SRI, a non-profit research group based in San Antonio, Texas, developed the system as part of an ERCOT pilot program for fast response regulation services to provide rapid response to grid frequency changes.

Dive Insight:

Besides helping integrate renewables onto the grid, SRI's aggregating charging system will provide a revenue stream to its owners.

“ERCOT qualification is an important step for this program,” Sean Mitchem, a principal analyst in SRI’s automation and data systems division, said. “Being qualified means that the fleet owner can bid energy services regularly into the ERCOT market and get paid for those services. The fleet owner is now able to take advantage of the normal vehicle downtime to generate additional revenue by making stored energy available to the grid.”