Commercial, Distributed Energy Resources, Energy Efficiency  -  April 4, 2023

Plymouth State University to Support Grid Resilience with EVs

Plymouth State University (PSU) is sourcing 1 MWh of energy from two Nissan LEAF electric vehicles (EVs) to offset its AllWell Center’s electricity needs. This use case demonstrates that EVs can also serve as “batteries on wheels” that power buildings when connected to a bidirectional EV charging platform.  

This advancement is made possible because of the university’s participation in a utility rate program developed by its local utility New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC), electrification software provider Bellawatt, and Fermata Energy, the developer of an AI-driven bidirectional EV charging platform.

Because of this program, the university can reduce its electricity bill and support grid resilience. Bringing together EVs, a bidirectional EV charging system, and advance notice on hourly electricity pricing, the program enables the university to make informed decisions about the best ways to use Nissan LEAF batteries as mobile energy storage assets.

In a statement, Donald Birx, President of Plymouth State University, expressed his enthusiasm for using EVs to build a stronger, cleaner grid: “Through this program, we better understand how we use electricity and can actively reduce our electricity costs. We could do that with stationary energy storage systems, but EVs are more affordable and are easy to manage. NHEC has always been a great partner for us. Fermata Energy's technology puts the EV batteries ‘behind the meter,’ sending electricity to the ALLWell Center to reduce our costs. Anything left over is shared with the grid. Not only did the university save money, but we provided a fantastic learning experience to our students.” 

A highly cost-effective program, PSU can purchase electricity from the NHEC at low prices. When the price of electricity is higher, PSU can then sell the energy back to NHEC. NHEC then compensates its members for power exported from distributed energy resources.

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