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The University of Delaware is exploring the potential of vehicles connecting to the smart grid.

Electric-drive vehicles, whether powered by batteries, fuel cells, or gasoline hybrids, have within them the energy source and power electronics capable of producing the 60 Hz AC electricity that powers homes and offices.

When connections are added to allow this electricity to flow from cars to power lines, we call it "vehicle to grid" power, or V2G.

Cars pack a lot of power. One typical electric-drive vehicle can put out over 10kW, the average draw of 10 houses. The key to realizing economic value from V2G is precise timing of its grid power production to fit within driving requirments while meeting the time-critical power "dispatch" of the electric distribution system.

On September 21, 2009, Delaware passed a law that requires electric utilities to compensate owners of electric cars for electricity sent back to the grid at the same rate they pay for electricity to charge the battery.

AutoPort Inc. near the Port of Wilmington, has produced  the first electric car built in Delaware, and the first car ever manufactured with complete V2G controls built-in from the factory.
Auto Port Inc. is a high volume auto-conversion facility located in New Castle, DE that builds V2G capable vehicles.

www.udel.edu/V2G/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle-to-grid

GM announced that it's investing $336 million in its Detroit Hamtramck Assembly plant to begin producing the Chevrolet Volt, its new electric vehicle, late next year.

The Infancy of Advanced Manufacturing at GM

The Volt symbolizes the new GM and the new Michigan. It's designed to go up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the Volt's lithium-ion battery is depleted of energy, a small gasoline engine and generator operate to extend the total driving range to about 300 miles.

Eight GM facilities in Michigan are involved in Volt production. GM has invested $700 million in those facilities, including its new Brownstown Township battery pack plant.

Brownstown is one of several advanced battery manufacturing facilities that we worked hard to attract to Michigan, and it's estimated that battery production will create up to 40,000 jobs in the next 10 years.

Green jobs for Michigan

Five small Michigan manufacturing companies were awarded a total of $15.5 million in federal Recovery Act funds. These funds will help the companies diversify into advanced manufacturing of renewable energy products like wind turbines and solar panels.

More than 700 jobs will be created or retained.

These five Michigan companies are developing breakthrough technologies in wind and solar energy.

Affordable Solar Shingles

One of them produces an affordable solar panel that resembles a roof shingle and can be easily integrated with other shingles on your roof.

Advanced, Composite Materials

Other companies are working on designing and manufacturing advanced-composite, advanced-materials wind turbine blades and other components.

Green Manufacturing in Michigan

Developments show that an economic strategy that Michigan devised five years ago is continuing to produce results. In that time Michigan has invested more than $1 billion to help nurture the growth of green manufacturing in our state, from advanced batteries and electric vehicles to solar panels and wind turbines.

Advanced Battery and Electric Vehicle Manufacturing

Recovery Act funding has also helped tremendously. This past August, 12 Michigan projects were awarded more than $1.35 billion in federal grants to support advanced-battery and electric-vehicle manufacturing and development.

Clean Energy Economy

Other Recovery Act dollars are helping Michigan companies in areas such as alternative fuels and geothermal technologies. And Michigan's No Worker Left Behind program is training workers for jobs in these new green industries. Our country needs an advanced manufacturing sector that produces everything we need for a clean energy economy.

"We want Michigan to be a center for advanced manufacturing and the jobs that come with it," says the Governor of Michigan. "This week's news about the Chevrolet Volt and five Michigan renewable energy companies shows that we are on the right track."

Scientists at Stanford University in California reported on Monday they have successfully turned paper coated with ink made of silver and carbon nanomaterials into a "paper battery" that holds promise for new types of lightweight, high-performance energy storage.

The same feature that helps ink adhere to paper allows it to hold onto the single-walled carbon nanotubes and silver nanowire films. Earlier research found that silicon nanowires could be used to make batteries 10 times as powerful as lithium-ion batteries.

Yi Cui  said  that in addition to being useful for portable electronics and wearable electronics, "Our paper supercapacitors can be used for all kinds of applications that require instant high power. Since paper batteries and supercapacitors can be low cost, they are also good for grid-connected energy storage."

Peidong Yang, professor of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley, said the technology could be commercialized within a short time.

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