DURHAM, N.C. — The Duke University student chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) is taking orders for North Carolina-grown Fraser fir Christmas trees. Proceeds will help fund a new, student-managed organic Christmas tree farm in Duke Forest.
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.
Per Business Leader
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BY MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
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