Will the electricity provides be capable of supplying EV demand?

[MontyFloyd]

Variations in supply due to weather are a rounding error compared to variations in demand due to humans.

TV pickup​

Ah, yes!
That deep incite in what the Brits really care about.
Very good point in managing grids.

 

[nwdiver]

I meant when RE offers surplus,

Sure. But that's rarely the case now and I certainly don't think it implies storage is critical. Just useful when it's cost effective to time-shift renewables. Even then the best approach is demand response.

 

[MontyFloyd]

Sure. But that's rarely the case now and I certainly don't think it implies storage is critical. Just useful when it's cost effective to time-shift renewables. Even then the best approach is demand response.

True, not a critical item, just the next step.

 

[BMWM3Man]

Dupe

 

[LoudMusic]

The electric companies have one product - electricity. Why would they not want to sell more electricity? Anyone rambling on about "EVs will kill the grid!" is a shill for the oil companies, whether they're getting paid for it or not.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

The electric companies have one product - electricity. Why would they not want to sell more electricity? Anyone rambling on about "EVs will kill the grid!" is a shill for the oil companies, whether they're getting paid for it or not.

Well, there are two risk to their model:
1) Success for EVs implies lots of cheap batteries,
2) People with EVs often look at their overall energy use.

Lots of cheap batteries could be _extremely_ disruptive to how the electricity grid business model works.
It's one thing to sell more electricity, but utilities make their money selling grid.
Cheap batteries can mean that you need _less_ grid.
Customers who look at their overall energy use can need less grid.

 

[LoudMusic]

Well, there are two risk to their model:
1) Success for EVs implies lots of cheap batteries,
2) People with EVs often look at their overall energy use.

Lots of cheap batteries could be _extremely_ disruptive to how the electricity grid business model works.
It's one thing to sell more electricity, but utilities make their money selling grid.
Cheap batteries can mean that you need _less_ grid.
Customers who look at their overall energy use can need less grid.

Less "grid" I think implies less transmission infrastructure? I think they'd like that, so long as they're selling more generated electricity throughout the day. They'd sell more product without having to increase their hardware. Even MORE of a win for them?

 

[ATPMSD]

The electric companies have one product - electricity. Why would they not want to sell more electricity?

There are two kinds of electric companies, Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) which are for profit corporations, and not-for-profit co-ops which are owned by the people they serve, the members. In a co-op, revenue collected in excess of expenses is refunded to the members, so they do what is best interest of their members as opposed to outside investors. We need more co-ops fewer IOUs.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Less "grid" I think implies less transmission infrastructure? I think they'd like that, so long as they're selling more generated electricity throughout the day. They'd sell more product without having to increase their hardware. Even MORE of a win for them?

Depends on the state. Here the utility and the generators are (supposedly) separate companies.
Utilities make money by spending on distribution.

And if in a state where they do both, they'd also be hit by cheap batteries because it makes things better for whatever is the cheapest generation, variable or not, which means more and faster stranding of existing generation assets by cheap renewables.

For the double whammy, cheap batteries also mean that residential solar economics are improved, without needed the support of the insanity that is net metering. Battery-backed residential solar means less distribution capacity needed, and less generation capacity needed.

 

[LoudMusic]

There are two kinds of electric companies, Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) which are for profit corporations, and not-for-profit co-ops which are owned by the people they serve, the members. In a co-op, revenue collected in excess of expenses is refunded to the members, so they do what is best interest of their members as opposed to outside investors. We need more co-ops fewer IOUs.

My current (pun!) and previous electric companies are co-ops. I'm either going to make a point of seeking them out in future residences or produce my own electricity. It's absolutely the way to go.