EMP S3E9: Willett Kempton, a pioneer in vehicle-to-grid technology, talks about the state of play for V2G, which promises to become a critically important resource for power grid operators

Back in the 1990s, the University of Delaware's Willett Kempton conducted early vehicle-to-grid (V2G) experiments with PJM, operator of the MidAtlantic region's wholesale power market, testing the feasibility of using electric vehicles to provide regulation services to the grid. In this episode, Kempton speaks to the progress that's been made in the intervening decades to set the stage for today's electricity market, where EVs are just beginning to have enough market penetration to provide enough battery storage at scale to make bidirectional electricity flows between vehicles and the grid a reality – and an important reliability tool for grid operators who will be challenged by steadily increasing dependence on variable, nondispatchable generation resources.

Kempton, professor in the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Delaware, is also an offshore wind expert, and talks about the wave of coming offshore wind installations domestically, taking advantages of scale economies that have make the technology almost at price parity with the wholesale markets.

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