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Thanks for sharing so many great examples of people solarpunking it in your area.
Can you unpack a bit more about the trucks delivering electricity? We may just be being slow but found the link to the Sunrun press release a bit unclear. Are these trucks driving to people's houses so they can draw power off these vehicles batteries? Do we know what sources the truck's batteries are powered up from? Any further explanation would be much appreciated
Hi there! Just to add to Lavala’s solid overview of what the pilot program will look like:
This pilot intends to be essentially a demonstration (or what they call proof of concept) for one type of virtual power plant, in this case, a vehicle-to-grid system. Eventually, that system would use EVs (helpful if they have big batteries) to offload some power from the grid when it’s oversupplied (almost always with renewables) and supply the grid during peak demand (evenings when there might be less solar power generation).
I haven’t seen a mention of how the EVs are taking power from the grid during peak times, but I assume this is the case here and it’s just being assumed. I know that I was able to time when my Tesla would charge during the day time at my house (with my at home charger) so it could charge at low demand times (theoretically with more RE available). The focus in these articles is on vehicle to grid because that’s the more novel technology, I’d guess.
I’m not sure if the trucks are actually driving around or being used by their owner during peak demand…or perhaps both! But each customer needs to own a ford f150 lightning, a ford charge station pro, and home integration system by SunRun.
That's very helpful thanks. We've had the idea of incorporating such vehicle enabled virtual power plants into the background of one of our upcoming SolarPunk Detective stories (https://www.solarpunkstories.com/buy-our-1st-story). Pilots like this are useful material.
PS - Looking forward to more posts from you about Solarpunking DC
Hey there! Thanks for leading the charge and providing great resources for the community as well!
You're right, the article isn’t entirely clear. The idea is that if you own Ford's F-150 Lightning, which acts as a mobile power source, it can provide electricity to your home through its battery. These trucks are equipped with Intelligent Backup Power, allowing homeowners to draw power from the vehicle during outages. The batteries are charged via standard electric grid connections or renewable sources like solar panels. The partnership with Sunrun facilitates solar integration, enabling clean energy to recharge the truck.
Thanks for sharing so many great examples of people solarpunking it in your area.
Can you unpack a bit more about the trucks delivering electricity? We may just be being slow but found the link to the Sunrun press release a bit unclear. Are these trucks driving to people's houses so they can draw power off these vehicles batteries? Do we know what sources the truck's batteries are powered up from? Any further explanation would be much appreciated
Hi there! Just to add to Lavala’s solid overview of what the pilot program will look like:
This pilot intends to be essentially a demonstration (or what they call proof of concept) for one type of virtual power plant, in this case, a vehicle-to-grid system. Eventually, that system would use EVs (helpful if they have big batteries) to offload some power from the grid when it’s oversupplied (almost always with renewables) and supply the grid during peak demand (evenings when there might be less solar power generation).
I haven’t seen a mention of how the EVs are taking power from the grid during peak times, but I assume this is the case here and it’s just being assumed. I know that I was able to time when my Tesla would charge during the day time at my house (with my at home charger) so it could charge at low demand times (theoretically with more RE available). The focus in these articles is on vehicle to grid because that’s the more novel technology, I’d guess.
I’m not sure if the trucks are actually driving around or being used by their owner during peak demand…or perhaps both! But each customer needs to own a ford f150 lightning, a ford charge station pro, and home integration system by SunRun.
Hopefully this offers some clarity!
That's very helpful thanks. We've had the idea of incorporating such vehicle enabled virtual power plants into the background of one of our upcoming SolarPunk Detective stories (https://www.solarpunkstories.com/buy-our-1st-story). Pilots like this are useful material.
PS - Looking forward to more posts from you about Solarpunking DC
I love the idea of leveraging real solarpunk examples into fiction! Keep up the great work, I’m looking forward to reading the first episode soon.
Hey there! Thanks for leading the charge and providing great resources for the community as well!
You're right, the article isn’t entirely clear. The idea is that if you own Ford's F-150 Lightning, which acts as a mobile power source, it can provide electricity to your home through its battery. These trucks are equipped with Intelligent Backup Power, allowing homeowners to draw power from the vehicle during outages. The batteries are charged via standard electric grid connections or renewable sources like solar panels. The partnership with Sunrun facilitates solar integration, enabling clean energy to recharge the truck.
Hope this helps :)
Yes that's much clearer than that press release - they should get you to help write the next one! :)