Among the many (many, many) sustainable
energy programs recently launched by the U.S. military, the Defense
Department’s new military electric-vehicles-to-grid tie inverter initiative is especially worth noting. With
the announcement of a $20 million, 500-vehicle leasing program soon to get
underway, in one fell swoop it’s going to accelerate several major trends that
have been slowly leaking into the civilian mainstream.
That includes the marriage of zero emission
electric vehicles with the potential for zero-emission recharging from solar
panel or other renewable sources, smart grid
tie inverter technology with off-peak power inverter maximization, and the flexibility
of local energy storage to help secure facilities (or individual buildings)
against brownouts and more serious grid tie inverter disruptions.
500 More Electric Vehicles for the U.S.
The new lease program, which is expected to
get underway later this year, will cover a variety of off-the-shelf vehicles
ranging from $30,000 to $100,000 in
the commercial market.
The 500 vehicles will be split among six
installations, with Los Angeles Air Force Base taking the lead.
If that name rings a bell, you may recall
that a little over a year ago LA
AFB announced that it would become the first federal
government facility ever to replace 100 percent of its fleet (its non-tactical
fleet, that is) with electric vehicles. The new lease program is based partly
on lessons learned from that program, which covered non-emergency sedans and
buses as well as light trucks.
Coincidentally, LA AFB is also an early solar
panel energy leader, and its all-EV
initiative includes solar panel charging
as well as a demonstration ground for EV-to-grid tie inverter systems. Basically, the electric vehicles
serve as mobile energy storage units. They can be charged at off-peak hours to
take advantage of lower electricity rates and/or any available renewable
energy, and when integrated with a smart microgrid tie inverter they be called into play to help alleviate
stress on the local grid tie inverter during periods of peak use.
Many Benefits from Military’s Transition to
Electric Vehicles
As described by Camron Gorguinpour, special
assistant to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations,
environment and logistics, the prospect of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at
military facilities is side benefit to the main attractions of switching to
EV’s: saving money on fleet expenses, meeting energy efficiency goals
For those of you wondering why leasing is
the preferred option, the typical lifespan of a non-tactical military vehicle
is far longer than the current pace of innovation in EV technology. By leasing,
the Defense Department can roll over its EV fleet more quickly to take
advantage of new models.
As for the 500 vehicles, that’s just a drop
in the bucket of DoD’s fleet of non-tactical ground vehicles, which last time
we looked numbered about 190,000. Just imagine what kind of market demand is
going to kick in if and when this initial program proves its worth and DoD
ramps up the pace of its EV transition.
The Coming EV-to-Grid tie inverter Revolution
Meanwhile, back in the civilian sector, a
mirror trend has been taking place in which consumers are finding themselves at
the cusp of a transition from vehicles that you just fill up and drive, to
vehicles that partner with you to achieve the most efficient, lowest-cost,
lowest-emission energy consumption patterns across the spectrum of your needs,
from mobility to household use.
We’ve already seen a steady growth in the
integration of EV manufacturers, charging station manufacturers and rooftop solar panel companies, and now auto
manufacturers are taking it to the next level.
Ford seems to be first out of the box with
its MyEnergi Lifestyle EV package, which encourages EV owners to think of a car
as the biggest electrical appliance they will ever own, one that can store
renewable energy, take advantage of off-peak pricing to lower costs, and
interact with other household appliances through a cloud-based mini-grid tie
inverter .
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