Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Nissan, and Fermata Energy are collaborating on a demonstration that integrates electric vehicles (EVs) and bidirectional chargers with a multi-customer microgrid to provide grid support and enhance energy resilience.
The partners, working with the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt and the Humboldt County Aviation Division, have implemented Fermata Energy’s Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) optimization platform using two model year 2020–2021 Nissan LEAF vehicles equipped with CHAdeMO quick charge ports and four FE-20 bidirectional charging stations at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid (RCAM) in McKinleyville, California.
RCAM is jointly operated by PG&E and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Humboldt County’s local energy provider. The project expands the microgrid’s capacity and enables automated grid frequency response using Fermata Energy’s V2X platform, contributing to PG&E’s broader grid resilience efforts.
The pilot incorporates advanced microgrid control functionality developed by the Schatz Energy Research Center, allowing the EVs to support the microgrid by balancing solar energy and battery storage in real time to enhance local and statewide grid stability.
How the project works
The Humboldt County Aviation Division purchased one 2021 Nissan LEAF for participation in this project, while Nissan provided a second 2020 LEAF under an agreement with the county. When in use, the vehicles serve county staff for work-related transportation. When parked, they are connected to bidirectional chargers that can both charge and discharge the vehicle batteries.
During discharging, stored energy from the vehicles offsets grid usage and reduces electricity costs for Humboldt County. The vehicles also respond to grid stress events through California’s Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP), allowing them to send power back to the grid during peak demand while generating revenue for the county.
When RCAM operates in islanded mode (not connected to the main grid), the EV-charger combinations continue normal operation unless the microgrid’s stationary batteries approach full or empty capacity. In those cases, the microgrid controller adjusts grid frequency to signal the vehicles to inject power or absorb excess solar energy, maintaining stable operation of the isolated system.
Advancing grid-interactive EV capabilities
The project provides insight into how EVs and bidirectional charging can function as distributed energy resources to strengthen energy resilience in rural communities. Lessons from the demonstration will inform future microgrid designs and grid-interactive vehicle programs that support California’s renewable energy and carbon neutrality goals.
Through its V2X pilot portfolio, PG&E is collaborating with automakers and technology providers to evaluate how light- and medium-duty EVs can supply backup power, integrate renewable energy, and align charging with real-time grid conditions. Incentives and performance-based programs under California Assembly Bill 841 aim to make these technologies accessible to residential and commercial customers, including those in disadvantaged and priority communities.
Filed Under: Charging, Technology News, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)