Chevrolet Volt electric car owners could soon charge with renewable energy using a new solution from OnStar.
The technology is enabled as OnStar receives a signal from PJM Interconnection that shows the percentage of available renewable energy on the grid. PJM is a regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Data from this forecast is downloaded to the OnStar cloud, or Advanced Telematics Operating Management System (ATOMS). OnStar uses this signal to simultaneously manage the charging of many Volts and to match the renewable energy availability. A mobile app could also be used to alert customers when renewable energy is available.
OnStar and Google are working together to demonstrate the technology on the 17 Chevrolet Volts in Google’s “Gfleet” based at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
The demonstrations are taking place at the 2012 DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition in San Antonio.OnStar will also be demonstrating the company’s Demand Response and Time-of-Use Rate solutions.
PJM data shows that peak time for renewable energy generation from wind is generally between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. With this in mind, it would be possible for customers to use OnStar’s Smart Grid solutions to further reduce their carbon footprint and save money by charging during these off-peak times.
If the renewable energy service goes into production, customers interested in using it would simply need to sign up. OnStar would then regulate their charging using the renewable energy signal.
The renewable energy technology is the latest addition to OnStar’s suite of Smart Grid solutions.
Source: General Motors.
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