PG&E and Partners Test EVs as Microgrid Power at Airport

Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced on November 13 that it had completed a pilot demonstration integrating bidirectional electric vehicle chargers and two Nissan LEAFs into the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid, known as RCAM, in McKinleyville. The test, carried out with partners Nissan, Fermata Energy, the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority and the Humboldt County Aviation Division, aimed to show how parked electric vehicles can support grid operations and local energy resilience.

The setup used two Nissan LEAF vehicles from model years 2020 and 2021, both equipped with CHAdeMO charging ports, and four Fermata FE 20 bidirectional chargers managed by Fermata's V2X optimization platform. When the vehicles were idle and plugged in, they were able to discharge to offset local demand, provide frequency response services and participate in California's Emergency Load Reduction Program, known as ELRP, to earn revenue during grid stress events. The Schatz Energy Research Center contributed advanced microgrid control functionality to coordinate vehicle charging and discharging with on site solar and battery storage, enabling the cars to help balance the microgrid in both islanded and grid connected conditions.

Humboldt County Aviation supplied one of the LEAFs for the demonstration, and Nissan provided the second vehicle. Project goals included measured electric bill savings for participating customers, enhanced local resilience during outages, and operational and technical learnings that could inform wider deployment of vehicle to grid and vehicle to everything services in rural community microgrids.

For local residents and businesses the demonstration highlights a practical path to strengthen energy reliability at critical community sites. The Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid is a community asset that can benefit from additional flexible resources when the bulk power system is stressed by heat, wildfire risk or other emergencies. By allowing parked vehicles to act as distributed energy resources, participants may reduce net electricity costs and create a revenue stream during ELRP events when the state compensates load reduction.

From a market and policy perspective the pilot signals growing interest from utilities, automakers and technology providers in using transportation electrification to support grid operations. The tests at RCAM will yield data on coordination among solar, batteries and bidirectional chargers, which regulators and utilities will use to weigh future programs aimed at rural resilience and distributed resource markets. As more communities pursue localized energy systems, demonstrations like this one provide a real world example of how common assets can be mobilized for both economic and resilience benefits.