The Kraken/EPRI “Mercury Consortium” Launch

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Last week there was a significant “Energy Technology” announcement in Manchester. This article was supposed to be written/published last weekend, but Storm Darragh and our subsequent 20 hour power cut proved more than capable of disrupting the carefully laid plans of both mice and men!

Hastily returning to a rather damp Manchester on December 5th, here is a recording of the meat of the initial presentation by Devrim Celal, Chief Marketing and Flexibility Officer of KrakenFlex Limited, speaking at the launch of the “Mercury Consortium” at the “UK’s first energy tech superhub”:

Devrim’s presentation was followed by a panel session with representatives of four “manufacturers”, which we will cover at a future date. After a “networking break” there was another panel session with speakers from four “utilities”, introduced by Arshad Mansoor who is President and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute. Here’s what Arshad had to say:

Think of a vision, where in the next 6 months there is a Mercury guide book, guidelines, for batteries that are used in homes. And let’s say that guide book, guideline, Mercury book says “Here are the functionalities that a battery should have”. Let’s say that one of the functionalities is “provide frequency response to the grid”. One of many, that will document all of the functionalities. Then for each one of those functionalities for frequency response it will document what are the requirements for you to offer that functionality. Maybe latency is 50 milliseconds, I don’t know, maybe something. Then it will look at what grid services you should do, maybe under voltage protection, frequency ride through. It will talk about what kind of control and communication you need. It will talk about cybersecurity. All these standards exist.

Which brings me back to Devrim’s presentation, during which he presented this slide of “standards” which the Mercury Consortium will presumably be referencing, but not changing:

Now here’s the thing. Regular readers may recall that on November 22nd I attended the kick off meeting of IEC SyC SE ahG 11? If you click that link you will you will discover that ad hoc Group 11’s mission is:

To consider the implementation of international residential flexibility system standards, their compatibility with national requirements, and propose best practice:

* To ensure the compatibility of end-to-end system solutions at international level,

etc. etc.

To the best of my knowledge none of the organisations represented at the Mercury Consortium launch either in person or on Devrim’s “standards” slide are also represented on the learned International Electrotechnical Commission committee set up to solve what sounds to be remarkably like the very same problem that Mercury is intending to address.

It’s hard to be sure at this early stage, but based on the information revealed at the Mercury Consortium launch event I get the distinct impression that their approach to “residential flexibility” differs from that of the international standards community. Mercury seems intent on “direct” control of domestic “energy smart appliances” by “utilities” and “aggregators”, whereas the assorted standards bodies on the European side of the North Atlantic favour “indirect” control. I’d hazard a guess that most of the Mercury consortium members have yet to take on board the message of the British Standard Institution’s 2021 PAS 1878 “guide to industry“, BS EN 50491-12-2:2022, or the work of the IEC SC 23K committee on the 63402 series of international standards.

Be that as it may, the Mercury Consortium launch event concluded with a “fireside chat” between Greg Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of Octopus Energy, and Lawrence Jones, Senior Vice President, International Relations of the Edison Electric Institute:

Please note in particular Greg’s closing remarks:

I think what we’ve got to do, what we have a responsibility to do, is to share far more than we normally would, so that the World changes faster, and then we just have to bet on ourselves to win in that game.

But ultimately, in this sector unlike almost any other, I actually think that’s a winning strategy…

We do have to relax a little bit, when… everyone’s trying to divide “the pie” to get their value share, and in doing so they are just making the pie smaller. We’ve got to get out and make a massive pie, and then we’ll use the 2030’s to work out who gets what.

Hear, hear Greg!

And just in case it’s of interest to the nascent Mercury Consortium, we’ve been betting on ourselves since the “artistic impression” of the SaMDES project at the top of this article was created when we changed the company name in 2012.

Europe’s first large-scale car-sharing service utilizing Vehicle-to-Grid technology

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In a press release earlier today Renault announced that:

In response to the massive growth of renewable energy in the Netherlands, Renault Group, We Drive Solar, MyWheels and the City of Utrecht have joined forces to launch Europe’s first large-scale car-sharing service utilizing Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology.

  • Renault Group will supply 500 Renault 5 E-Tech electric equipped with Mobilize’s V2G technology.
  • We Drive Solar will provide and operate bidirectional charging stations.
  • MyWheels, the leading car-sharing platform in the Netherlands, will operate the fleet.


Utrecht is taking a bold step towards more sustainable mobility with this groundbreaking collaboration. This initiative aims to facilitate the large-scale availability of electric shared mobility while offering an innovative way to balance the city’s electric grid through bi-directional charging technology. The Netherlands has become a world leader in the roll-out of solar and wind energy, causing challenges on the electricity grid. Utrecht is one of the most advanced European cities in using renewable energy, with already 35% of all rooftops covered with solar panels.

As part of the agreement signed yesterday at the Dutch embassy in Paris, the partners would deploy a fleet of 500 Renault electric vehicles in Utrecht, initially consisting of the iconic Renault 5. These vehicles, available through a car-sharing service operated by MyWheels, would utilize V2G bi-directional charging technology developed by Mobilize, Renault Group’s brand dedicated to new mobilities. This would mark the first time this technology is used to benefit public infrastructure. 500 bidirectional cars could provide 10% of the needed flexibility in Utrecht Region to balance solar- and wind energy for usage during peak-hours.

The fleet could eventually feature the Renault 4 E-Tech electric, Megane E-Tech electric and Scenic E-Tech electric further demonstrating Renault Group’s commitment to sustainable mobility and innovation. Their compact design and advanced technology make them ideal for urban car-sharing programs in cities transitioning to more sustainable mobility solutions. The use of Mobilize’s V2G technology would represent a significant step forward, allowing We Drive Solar’s public infrastructure and services to contribute to a more resilient and sustainable energy system on a large scale.

Renault’s vehicles equipped with Mobilize’s V2G technology would enable users to charge their vehicles with clean energy and feed power back into the grid during high demand. This not only reduces overall electricity costs but also helps stabilize the grid and further integrate renewable energy sources. We Drive Solar, an international leader in smart charging, would provide its advanced bidirectional charging solutions. Starting in Utrecht, all new bidirectional public AC chargers would be rolled-out to support the V2G access toolkit provided by Mobilize. Renault’s vehicles would be operated by MyWheels, the largest car-sharing company in the Netherlands. With this initiative, MyWheels would set a new standard for car-sharing services by integrating mobility and energy solutions to address modern urban challenges.

I cannot help but wonder when the announcement of the UK’s first small-scale car-sharing service utilizing Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology will occur?

V2G at the 361 Energy Fair in Barnstaple

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The 361 Energy Fair is back in Barnstaple on September 29th. The 2024 event starts at 10 AM in the Pannier Market with an introduction by Ian Roome, the newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon.

To give you a better idea of what to expect, here’s a video with extracts from previous 361 energy fairs:

For the first time this year’s fair includes a series of talks on a variety of topics. Our very own Jim Hunt will be giving a presentation on the topic of “An introduction to V2x, making greater use of EV batteries”, and the emphasis will be on vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-building rather than fully fledged vehicle-to-grid.

The event includes exhibitions from a variety of local electric car dealers, and several of the EVs are V2x enabled. I suspect the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N will attract a lot of interest. Here’s Jack Scarlett’s review of “the most engaging electric driver’s car yet?” for the Fully Charged Show:

Also on display in the Pannier Market will be the Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric “surf bus”…

The ID. Buzz in Barcelona

the Kia EV6…

and the Ford E-Transit van:

[Update – September 30th]

Yesterday proved to be rather a damp and blustery day, but we managed to reach the Barnstaple Pannier Market after suffering only a mild sprinkling of rain. This is the sight that greeted us:

Image: Olga Vynnyk

The presentations were taking place in the Studio KIND gallery in the Corn Store at the far left corner of that picture, where it quickly became apparent that things were running considerably behind schedule! That meant we got to hear Paul Rogers from National Energy Action talking about “Heating your home with a Heat Pump”:

Image: Jim Hunt

Followed by Frank Benbow from 361 Energy CIC dispelling some of the myths about “Electric vehicles and charging”:

Image: Jim Hunt

Things were becoming a bit rushed by the time I got up to speak, but here’s yours truly swiftly running through the differences between the “AC” and “DC” varieties of V2x technology with an image of the forthcoming Renault 5 E-Tech and our prototype single phase AC vehicle-to-home wallbox:

Image: Olga Vynnyk

I ended up skipping some of the more technical bits of my presentation, but you can download the whole thing here. The other presentations are available for download from the 361 Energy CIC web site.

By the time the presentations were over many of the EVs had already departed, but I did manage to discuss the Hyundai Ioniq 5N with a representative of Devonshire Motors. Apparently a few have been sold in the West Country, but I have yet to see or hear one of them out on the road!

Image: Jim Hunt

Now I cannot help but wonder when the Ioniq 5 and other Hyundai EVs will be available in the UK, equipped with fully fledged vehicle-to-grid technology?

The Great South West Powerhouse

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I had high hopes for what I dubbed the “South West Powerhouse” back in 2015, when I attended the launch of Molly Scott Cato’s “The Power to Transform the South West” report in Glastonbury. Here’s Molly, the then Green Party MEP for South West England, describing that vision from the podium:

After the presentations were over I bumped into a researcher from the University of Exeter, who didn’t look very well. I enquired after his health, and he explained that it wasn’t a physical problem. It had just been announced that the then Conservative / Lib Dem coalition Government had published its so called “Productivity Plan“, which claimed to be:

Creating a more prosperous nation.

The plan included the following weasel words:

The government does not intend to proceed with the zero carbon Allowable Solutions carbon offsetting scheme, or the proposed 2016 increase in on-site energy efficiency standards.

An unfortunate side effect of the cunning Conservative plan was that the vehicle-to-grid pilot project at South West Exeter that I’d just been discussing with Molly was instantly consigned to the recycle bin of history. Hence I wrote the first of several subsequent “open letters” to Mel Stride, recent candidate for leadership of the Conservative Party and my then Member of Parliament:

https://V2G.co.uk/2015/07/an-open-letter-to-mel-stride-george-osborne-david-cameron-et-al/

Much more recently I found myself on stage at the Everything Electric North event in Harrogate, where I exhorted to audience to “get out and vote!”, a message echoed by presenter Robert Llewellyn:

Lots of people did just that, and there is now a new administration in Westminster. What’s more much of the south west peninsula has turned from blue to orange and red on the electoral map:

There’s even a small patch of green just out of picture; Carla Denyer’s seat in Bristol Central.

On Friday the BBC reported that:

Business leaders and politicians have put their cases for a South West powerhouse to the government.

The Great South West Partnership has brought together leaders from industry, politics and academia to work on promoting Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset as one unit on the national stage.

The partnership believes the region could be a leading force in issues of defence, energy and food production and is holding a conference with 500 guests expected.

Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State for Industry, was the keynote speaker at the conference, which was held at Sandy Park, home to the Exeter Chiefs rugby team…

Ms Jones told the conference the potential of the power industry was “huge” if people worked together.

“The innovation, the ideas and potential is huge,” she said.
“I think the best way to realise that potential is for people to work together so they can make the case for growth, innovation, and reform. I think that is really important.

“What is really clear is there is a lot of potential we could be unlocking here.”

I have some innovative ideas that I’d love to discuss with Sarah and/or her team. I left a message on her voicemail on Friday, but she hasn’t got back to me yet.

To be continued…

V2G at Everything Electric NORTH 2024

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I was fortunate enough to find myself on stage for two different panel sessions at the Everything Electric NORTH show in Harrogate last weekend. We recorded those two sessions in full for posterity, but there were plenty of other interesting topics apart from V2x. Some extracts from those can also be found below.

My first panel on Saturday was on the topic of “Vehicle to Everything? What’s the true potential?”, held in the EEN “Giga Theatre”. The tagline for the session was “We believe that V2X could be the biggest benefit of all in a world with battery electric vehicles, but how do we go ‘bidirectional’?”:

As you can see from the video below, I found myself sat next to Robert Llewellyn of Fully Charged fame as a last minute replacement for host Dan Caesar:

Mark Potter from 3ti explained the full suite of V2x three letter acronyms (TLAs for short).

  • V2L = vehicle-to-load
  • V2H = vehicle-to-home
  • V2B = vehicle-to-building
  • V2G = vehicle-to-grid
  • V2I = vehicle-to-infrastructure
  • V2V = vehicle-to-vehicle

I added a couple of less familiar four letter acronyms (FLAs for short) to Mark’s list:

  • V2µG = vehicle-to-micro-grid
  • V2nG = vehicle-to-nano-grid (AKA V2H)

Robert helpfully provided an explanation of “V2µG”:

Vehicle to a “local area grid”, like a few houses or a few buildings or a few offices.

Sunday’s panel was also in the Giga Theatre, this time on the related topic of “How can Grid x Home x Car come together for 2035?”, with the tagline “If there is to be a silver bullet in energy and transport it will be the bringing together of grid, home and car – when and how will they intersect? “.

Robert asked me “Can you do, for me, the very basic differentiation between the two commonly used ways of getting electricity out of cars, AC and DC?“

I replied “I can try!“. Skip to 5:30 in the video below to see for yourself whether I succeeded or not.

At ~ 27:30 in the video above, in response to a pertinent question from the audience, I uttered a carefully calibrated four letter word when attempting to get my message across to the assembled throng. Followed by:

The grid, it’s still too much ‘top down’, and it needs to be more ‘bottom up’!

Robert clarified my remark by adding that:

One would hope it will be a blend of the two. That consumers are buying the cars and going ‘hang on a minute, I’ve got a massive battery sat outside my house and I can’t use it to run my cooker’. And from the top down you can see the obvious benefits of having a million electric vehicles on the road. Even that is a million kilowatt-hours, if you take one from each.

To be continued…

UK Government Announces £185 Million EV Charging Funding

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In a press release this morning the United Kingdom Government’s Department for Transport announced that:

Charging electric vehicles is set to get even easier thanks to hundreds of millions of funding made available for local authorities, homeowners and renters today.

The government continues to deliver its £381 million Local Electric Vehicle (LEVI) fund to councils, which can choose where is best to install chargepoints in their local area. Following the approval of the first five local authority applications in February, payments to 44 additional councils from Torbay to Tees Valley, worth over £185 million, have now been approved to help residents charge their vehicles.

The funding will support the delivery of thousands of chargepoints across England, helping more drivers get from A to B easily and supporting families in making the switch. Additionally, the local authorities that have already been allocated to the second round of LEVI funding will be able to apply to the fund from 2 April 2024, following those who have received funding in the first round and in a further boost to the chargepoint rollout.

In Devon and Cornwall the funding allocation is:

Cornwall & Scilly £5,509,000
Devon£7,067,000
Plymouth£2,415,000
Torbay£958,000

In a press release of their own today, Devon County Council add further details:

The announcement follows our adoption of the Devon Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy last year.

In the Strategy, we highlight that a key barrier to the uptake of EVs in Devon is the availability of suitable charging infrastructure, particularly in remote and rural areas.

To address this, the our Strategy recommends that we support the delivery of 2,000 more charging points by 2030.

It adds that there should be a particular focus on charging points on residential streets in rural and remote areas with electric grid constraints, where higher uptakes of EVs are forecast and communities without or with limited access to off-street parking.

The delivery of Devon’s LEVI scheme is set to begin in 2025 and will significantly expand on an already growing network of on and off-street EV charging points.

The DfT press release also announced additional financial support for EV owners who cannot charge their car in their own garage on on their driveway:

To further support electric vehicle (EV) drivers and families looking to switch to electric, the government is ensuring households without driveways or dedicated parking spaces can access the electric vehicle chargepoint grant. Delivering on our Plan for Drivers commitment to make EVs a more practical option, the £350 grant will be widened to those who own or rent and have access to adequate street parking.

The funding will drive down the cost of EV ownership by providing up to 75% off the cost of purchasing and installing a chargepoint, and applicants must also have permission from their council to install a cross-pavement charging solution. Applications can be made online.

Renault Reveal V2x Enabled R5 at Geneva Motor Show

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We have been following the progress of the new Renault 5 for quite some time, and the long awaited reveal of the R5 will be live streamed tomorrow from the 2024 Geneva International Motor Show.

Some pictures of a bright yellow version of the “production” Renault 5 have been “leaked” to the press. Here is a sneak preview:

And from the reverse angle:

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Octopus Energy introduce “The UK’s first Vehicle-to-Grid tariff”

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This morning a new section was visible on the “Smart Tariffs” section of Octopus Energy’s web site. The new tariff is introduced by Constantine the friendly octopus as follows:

Octopus Power Pack: the UK’s first Vehicle-to-Grid tariff

Get free EV charging with our groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tariff

Add Octopus Power Pack to your regular tariff. We’ll set up your V2G charger to automatically manage your charging and discharging in the greenest way possible, so you can fill up for free.

A typical V2G driver could save £880 per year compared to Flexible Octopus, and £180 compared to Intelligent Octopus Go.

Power Pack represents the latest stage in our V2G rollout, following our wildly successful Powerloop V2G trial. It’s currently a beta tariff.

I cannot help but wonder if Constantine the intelligent octopus has been peeking at our decade old “artistic impression” of V2G technology in the domestic environment? See the banner above.

Constantine continues:

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Arrival’s UK Subsidiaries Enter Administration

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In a press release earlier today Arrival announced that:

Arrival today announced that Simon Edel, Alan Hudson and Sam Woodward of EY-Parthenon’s Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy team were appointed as joint administrators (the “Administrators”) of Arrival UK Ltd and Arrival Automotive UK Limited (the “Companies”), both subsidiaries of Arrival. All of Arrival’s other subsidiaries will continue their activities as usual outside of the administration process. The Administrators are now exploring options for the sale of the business and assets of the Companies, including the electric vehicle platform, software, intellectual property and R&D assets, for the benefit of creditors.

Arrival’s mission is to master a radically more efficient New Method to design, produce, sell and service purpose-built electric vehicles, to support a world where cities are free from fossil fuel vehicles. Arrival’s in-house technologies enable a unique approach to producing vehicles using rapidly-scalable, local Microfactories. Arrival is a joint stock company governed by Luxembourg law.

So much for the long promised, allegedly revolutionary, vehicle-to-grid capable Arrival electric van:

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V2S Suddenly Makes Educational and Financial Sense?

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In a press release this morning the Department for Transport of His Majesty’s Government announced that:

New measures to support electric vehicle drivers from the government’s Plan for Drivers have launched today, including grants for schools, cash for councils and new proposals to boost chargepoint numbers.

Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, Anthony Browne, will launch support for greener schools in Nottinghamshire today, with a new grant providing up to 75% of the cost to buy and install chargepoints, up to £2,500 per socket, up from the previous £350. 

Paid for by the Department for Transport, the grant forms part of the Workplace Charging Scheme and is available for state-funded schools, colleges, nurseries and academies to boost the chargepoint facilities for staff and visitors. This could also help schools to generate revenue by making their chargepoints available to the public.

The school’s grant is for state-funded schools and education institutions, which must have dedicated off-street parking facilities – applications can be made online.

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