September 6, 2022

How utilities can benefit from EV charging data

All across the country, new environmental policies have been taking aim at greenhouse gas emissions. For example, more than 360 electric utilities have set climate goals, and over 180 local governments have committed to 100% clean and renewable energy. At the same time, households and businesses have been taking bold new steps to go green. For instance, 60% of companies have a sustainability strategy, and 85% of consumers have gotten greener in the past few years.

 

One of the most substantial developments due to this greening is the shift away from fossil fuel based electricity generation: electrical power from renewables nearly doubled in the last decade, and the federal government is aiming for a carbon-neutral power sector by 2035. Another huge change has been the growth in electric vehicles: EV sales increased over 10% in the last year, and are now over 10% of the new car market; further, experts estimate that over half of auto sales will be electric by 2030.

 

While this is of course great progress against global warming and lung disease, it may create certain challenges for utilities. They must manage the shift away from dirty energy sources, and provide enough more electricity to power hundreds of millions of cars. Further, renewable energy sources like wind and solar suffer from intermittency problems: they aren’t always providing electricity when, for instance, EV drivers are trying to charge up their cars. This can lead to higher electricity costs, more fossil fuel emissions, and worse grid reliability.

 

But with smart-charging technologies like our JuiceNet platform, electric vehicles can actually help utilities reduce their reliance on dirty energy, and utilities can likewise help incentivize electric vehicle adoption.

 

Here are some ways your utility can benefit from EV charging data:

Create and manage utility smart charging programs

For example, our JuiceNet Utility software can delay or reduce EV charging rates across a portfolio of EV chargers, based on utility and grid operator signals, while prioritizing individual driver requirements and preferences, as well as compensating drivers for their flexibility.

 

Schedule and execute automated demand response events

Demand response (DR) is a valuable tool for utilities to keep the lights on during extreme weather, peak loads, patchy supply, or other potential threats to the grid. Essentially, it’s a way for utilities to work with their customer base to reduce the energy load of the grid during key moments. This happens through financial incentives like time-based variable rates, rebates, rewards, and more.

 

Many utility partners rely on Enel X Way with JuiceNet to manage their demand response portfolios consistently achieve reliable resource performance—at scale.

 

Monitor EV driving charging behavior, real time charger status, and demand response event participation statistics

With the right management, EV charging stations can help maximize renewable energy sources to their fullest potential. They can store electricity during peak winds and taper off charging when the renewable mix is low. Enel X Way offers a cloud-based software feature called JuiceNet Green, which monitors and reacts to the instantaneous energy market.

 

Our Network Operations Center (NOC) continuously monitors each site’s connectivity and energy consumption. During a demand response dispatch, our NOC tracks energy reductions at each site and gives you real-time visibility.

 

Optimize residential and commercial EV load management

We additionally provide time-of-use rate implementation, persistent data storage upon power interruption, 15-minute interval metering data, real-time telemetry & control, wholesale market integration (day ahead & real time), local distribution system management services, event & time-of-use override history, over-the-air server & firmware updates, graphical interface & API functionality, a customer JuicePoint reward system, and more.

 

No wonder countless utilities from across the country—from Duke Energy to PG&E, and from Xcel to SRP—have partnered with us!

 

Why choose JuiceNet?

Our JuiceNet platform offers smart grid control and revenue opportunities for our global partners, including automakers, EVSE manufacturers, utilities, and more. As the only EVSE provider participating in wholesale energy markets, we offer all utilities a complete line of interoperable, hardware agnostic, OCPP compliant, smart grid electrical vehicle charging solutions. Employing open APIs, JuiceNet can control any WiFi connected charging station and coordinates periodic changes in charge rate and timing, which the driver can override at any time.

 

But don’t just take our word for it! JuiceNet has received numerous prizes, including the EPIC Award, the Grid Edge Award, the Edison Award, and more; Guidehouse Insights ranked us the #1 vehicle grid integration solution provider. As a CDP Gold Accredited Solutions Provider for Renewable Energy, we can help companies plan custom-fit sustainable energy roadmaps that meet environmental objectives. See why over 4,000 business customers at over 10,000 sites have chosen us to help them deploy smart EV charging solutions and reach their sustainability goals.

 

History

We’re best known for our JuiceBox line of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, which has been the #1 best-selling EV charging station on Amazon for the last five years. But our 170,000+ charging ports worldwide have helped us help utilities for the last several years as well. Here are a few highlights:

 

In 2018, 10,000 EVs in aggregate became a 30MW virtual battery for California. Our JuiceNet virtual battery continues to grow, as more EVs hit the road and more consumers buy our JuiceBox smart charging stations. Now, JuiceNet manages charging demand from thousands of electric cars across the United States, providing real-time flexibility to the grid. This managed charging helps the grid become cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable. By 2025, when over 3 million EVs are on the road, our JuiceNet virtual battery could grow to an estimated 26 GW nationwide, and displace 47 carbon-emitting natural gas “peaker” power plants.

 

Conclusion

With the rapid adoption of electric cars, investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, and Community Choice Aggregation providers (CCA) are facing greater challenges to ensure a reliable, balanced, and clean electric grid for all energy users. Our quicker charging solutions aggregate and manage EV load to maintain grid reliability while avoiding the use of expensive peaker plants and infrastructure upgrades.

 

By shifting when and how much electricity JuiceNet-connected stations draw from the grid, utilities and grid operators increase customer satisfaction, reduce electricity costs, ease grid congestion, and maximize the use of solar and wind power.

 

JuiceNet Utility Edition enables utility managers access to charging behavior across their service territory. The software solution executes managed charging across a portfolio of EV charging stations, based on utility load management requirements, while prioritizing driver mobility needs. It provides critical features to manage residential and commercial EV demand, including the following:

 

  • Improve grid reliability by minimizing charging ramp rates and reducing the demand on transformers
  • Improve grid economics by achieving higher utilization rates, and ultimately saving all electricity users money on their monthly energy bill
  • Improve local air quality and reduce emissions by integrating more solar and wind into the grid
  • Reduce total cost of EVSE ownership and vehicle charging through grid participation incentives

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