Plug-In Hybrids Could Require 160 New Power Plants By 2030 (Or None At All)
Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) have taken some undeserved heat lately, with the recent hullabaloo over their potential to drain U.S. water supplies. But as some readers pointed out, it all depends when you charge them.
This week’s report from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which evaluated the impact of a substantial increase in PHEV ownership, found that nighttime charging of PHEV’s would not increase electricity demand over baseline levels. In other words, no (or very few) new power plants would need to be constructed if plug-in owners only charged their vehicles at night.
- » See also: Sporty Volt SS Possible, Cadillac Converj Gets Green Light
- » Get Gas 2.0 by RSS or sign up by email.
While nighttime charging makes sense, since it can be incentivized by power companies and prices are cheapest after 10 p.m. anyway, there’s no guarantee that the average car owner will wait until then to charge up. The worst case scenario, in which all PHEV owners charged their vehicles at 5pm, could require the construction of up to 160 new power plants.
Obviously, vehicle charging will take place at different times during the day, but it may be important (even vital) that new plug-ins be charged during nighttime hours. Study authors estimated the impact on electricity generation would be greatest by 2030, when PHEVs have become well-established in the U.S. market.
See the press release here.
See the study here.
Related Posts:
100 MPG+ Plug-In Hybrids Already Available (Check ‘em Out)
Could Hybrid Vehicles Hinder Development of More Sustainable Alternatives?
Plug-In Hybrids Use Over 17 Times More Water Than Regular Cars, Researchers Say
[Via] and Photo Credit
[...] Cheap, Green Ethanol? Switchgrass Could Displace 30% of US Petroleum Usage With 94% GHG Reduction Plug-In Hybrids Could Require 160 New Power Plants By 2030 (Or None At All) A Biodiesel Prius? VW To Release 69.9 MPG Diesel [...]
[...] written several posts lately about plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and their need for renewable energy charging sources. PHEVs are a stepping stone as the future of transportation heads toward electric vehicles powered [...]
Spain supplies an entire city with solar electricity from a desert region right now. We overlook the vast solar electric/heat potential of desert regions that have up to 95% sunlight daily, just when we need it- in the daytime! We should plant foodstuff in the shade provided by the solar collectors and pump water using some of the solar energy to feed the inevitable cities that will crop up in search of cheaper electricity and heat that a desert solar heat/electric farm would cause. I for one, want to be a pioneer in this new American frontier!
[...] cited makes it clear that unless we clean up power production, there isn’t much point in moving to PHEVs from regular, old hybrids [...]
[...] not only inconvenient, but putting 50,000 of these on the road could cause serious power draw (see Plug-In Hybrids Could Require 160 New Power Plants By 2030 (Or None At All and Plug-In Hybrids Use Over 17 Times More Water Than Regular Cars, Researchers Say). Since such a [...]
[...] vehicles. Total impact on electrical generation may all depend on when the vehicles are charged. A recent study from Oak Ridge National Laboratory showed that charging vehicles during off-peak hours (after 10 [...]
[...] vehicles. Total impact on electrical generation may all depend on when the vehicles are charged. A recent study from Oak Ridge National Laboratory showed that charging vehicles during off-peak hours (after 10 [...]
[...] Plug-In Hybrids Could Require 160 New Power Plants by 2030 (Or None At All) [...]
A simple solution: equip all plug-in cars with a timer so that they don’t start drawing power until after 10pm, no matter when you plug it in. Of course, there would have to be a way to override this, but it should be something that’s a bit of a pain to change so people would only do it if it was absolutely necessary. Problem. Solved. *bushes hands off*
Look, it takes me on average 10 minutes to drive to work. It’s mostly city streets, but that shouldn’t be a problem for an electric car that can go 110 miles on a single charge.
Now, let’s just say I happen to have solar panel on the top of this vehicle. Let’s say it’s nicely incorporated into the roof and sealed properly so it won’t rain inside the car, and delivers a nice trickle charge of 12 volts and who knows about the amps.
Now let’s say the same car is sitting in the sun in the parking lot for a full 6 hours.
Um??? DUH?????? Seems like a no-brainer to me. I’ve not had to plug in anywhere and the car is now ready for the next jaunt to the store, mall, movie theater, etc… Going down the road it’ll still produce an insignificant amount of energy, but every drop helps right? Improve the efficiency of solar panels and we may have a real solution here.
If all I do is drive home then it’ll still have a charge in the morning for me to go back to work, or the store or where ever, and it’ll charge in the parking lot while I’m shopping or working and be ready again for me to go wherever after I’m done.
If nothing else, it’ll help reduce occurrences of stranded drivers due to no charging facility. All they’d have to do is wait a couple hours to get a partial charge which should get them to the nearest plug in spot.
It’s something to think about if nothing else. I’m not saying it’s the solution, but I honestly think it could help.