Last month I questioned the wisdom of connecting a plug-in hybrid to the grid, but after hearing James Woolsey speak I'm a bit more open to the idea.
Woolsey, who at one time was the head of the CIA, is passionate about freeing us from oil dependency for national security reasons, and he wowed a crowd of financiers last week at a clean energy conference in Seattle with his justification for plug-in hybrids. He argues that in addition to substantially reducing the amount of oil we import, plug-in hybrids can also serve as battery backups for the power grid.
If we had a few million plug-in hybrids, their batteries could collectively be tapped by the electric utilities during peak demand. The vehicles would recharge at night, and then if we get an electricity crunch, electricity from the cars could be sent upstream, which is cheap and cleaner than what utilities do now -- burn more expensive natural gas or fire up their dirtiest coal power plants. The vehicle owners would be compensated by receiving the substantial difference between what they paid for off-peak to peak power.
The other benefit is to supplement the grid in time of crisis. If terrorists destroy a power station, then individuals could use their cars to keep their houses functioning until power is restored. This also would come in handy for natural disasters too. In addition to the getting power from the grid, Woolsey argues that homes with small solar arrays could also keep vehicles charged.
Of course this assume lots of plug-in hybrids with bigger batteries and convenient access for vehicles to be plugged in during the day at office parks, homes, and garages, which are no small obstacles. I'm starting to think this is an idea worth exploring.
