December 3, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

Groups seek power system management. Another major source of demand is on the horizon: plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The current. President-elect has already expressed his support for expanding the nation’s fleet of PHEVs, calling for a million of them on the road by 2015, and a $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of plug-ins is already on the books. As the Northwest Power and Conservation Council prepares to draft its next Northwest Power Plan, officials are taking a look at the potential impacts of plug-ins on the regional grid. “…Down the line, as you grow the number (of plug-ins) there’s going to have to be some kind of charging regulation,” said the council chairman. Council members met late last month to hash out the benefits and challenges of bringing PHEVs onto the grid, taking in a presentation from a Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory scientist. He has been working for two years on research into “smart-grid” technology which incorporates sophisticated tools that allow PHEVs to communicate with the power grid, drawing from it during low-demand times and potentially giving back to it — or shutting off — during peaks. His research suggests that by using smart-grid management, between 43 and 73 percent of all the cars and trucks in the United States could be replaced with PHEVs without requiring new power plants or transmission lines. Source: http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2008/12/01/Girding-up-for-plugins-Groups-seek-power-system-management

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December 3, 2008 by Tim McDowell.

dhs_daily_report_2008-12-03.pdf

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