Imagine this; every residential street full of clean, electric vehicles charging at low peak times and storing energy that has been generated by renewable sources. Then when the grid requires extra power during peak times, instead of firing up those dirty great fossil fuelled power stations, those car batteries silently sell the energy back to the grid.

Of course the system is so smart that you simply tell it that you need your car fully charged by 7am the next morning - and it will manage the energy exchange for you.

This is the future of our energy - and projects like the Electric Nation trial, will help us to ensure the supply and demand for energy is managed sustainably and efficiently.

That's a massive step towards us achieving our net-zero UK ambitions.

About the project:

The Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid (V2G) trial, a project run by Western Power Distribution (WPD) and CrowdCharge to demonstrate how electric vehicles (EVs) can provide V2G services, has announced Green Energy UK as one of its energy partners.

Green Energy UK is the UK’s only supplier of 100% renewable electricity and 100% green gas. For 20 years Green Energy UK has been championing sustainable energy in the UK and was the first energy supplier in the UK to offer residential customers a Time of Use (TOU) tariff in 2017.

With Green Energy UK’s ‘TIDE’ time of use tariff, which offers a Low-TIDE electricity rate at off-peak times, EV drivers can charge their vehicles overnight when electricity prices are at their lowest, from midnight to 7am daily.

Electric Nation is different to other V2G projects because it is using four different energy partners instead of just one. This means that the project is a more realistic simulation of a future world in which many streets will have a number of EVs using V2G chargers with different energy suppliers.

Twenty-five applicants to the Electric Nation V2G trial will be offered the opportunity to join the project with the Green Energy UK and CrowdCharge proposition.

Doug Stewart, CEO at Green Energy UK, says “To truly turn the tide on climate change we need to be smart and shift our demand patterns to consume electricity at off-peak times – not only is it the most sustainable way to lower energy bills, but by levelling out demand, it reduces the amount of generation capacity we need to build as a nation.

“The UK’s national grid draws electricity from a broad range of energy supplies to cope with the country’s day-to-day demands. There are some pinch points during the day when demand can outstrip normal supply. When this happens, gas or diesel-powered plants fire up to meet the demand. This adds dramatically to the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions.

“By making simple changes to how and when we use our energy, we can flatten out the peaks and help to ensure that our renewable generation is able to meet as much of the UK’s demand for energy as possible.”

www.greenenergyuk.com