Fleets can monetise EV charging infrastructure under new scheme

EV chargers add significant load to the grid – and this will grow as more high-capacity chargers are deployed to service trucks and buses, or to rapid charge cars and vans. However, by pairing these chargers with a battery energy storage system (BESS), fleets can still charge their EVs while also reducing the amount of grid energy they consume during peak periods.

“This could be a real game-changer for fleets,” said Nigel Dent, head of sales at leading BESS provider Connected Energy. “The modelling we’ve already seen for truck depots and HGV service centres indicates that companies could earn up to £15,000 a year by using a BESS to participate in DFS and other schemes.”

DFS runs each winter from November to March, with National Grid designating at least 12 periods of time known as ‘events’, when it will ask participants to stop drawing energy from the network. These will occur at times when demand is exceptionally high, usually between 4pm – 7pm.

Each event could last up to four hours, but a business doesn’t have to participate for the full duration and the minimum length is 30 minutes per event. They get paid for the length of time they take part and the amount by which their energy consumption is reduced. National Grid has quoted this as £3,000 per megawatt-hour (MWH).