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Industry News
March 27, 2012
NRG Energy Reaches Agreement with State of California to Build EV Fast-Charging Infrastructure
The California Public Utilities Commission and NRG Energy have entered into an agreement where NRG will build a comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) charging network in California, investing approximately $100 million over the next four years.
This fee-based charging network will consist of at least 200 publicly available fast-charging stations--installed in the San Francisco Bay area, the San Joaquin Valley, the Los Angeles Basin and San Diego County – which can add 50 miles of range in less than 15 minutes of charging. Additionally, NRG’s EV infrastructure commitment will include the wiring for at least 10,000 individual charging stations located at homes, offices, multifamily communities, schools and hospitals located across the State.
"With this agreement, the people of California will gain a charging infrastructure ready to support their current and future fleet of electric vehicles," said David Crane, NRG’s Chief Executive Officer. "And we will be helping the State meet its clean car goals as embodied by its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate."
The agreement, pending approvals and finalization, resolves outstanding litigation arising out of a long-term electricity contract entered into over a decade ago by a subsidiary of Dynegy, Inc., then a co-owner with NRG of the portfolio of power generating plants currently owned by NRG in California. NRG assumed full responsibility for resolving this matter in 2006 when NRG acquired Dynegy’s 50% interest in the assets.
"California already leads the way in the development of an alternative energy transportation sector and, with the price of gasoline above $4 per gallon and rising, all Americans need to be giving serious consideration to the increasingly attractive electric vehicle alternative to what former President Bush called ’our national addiction to foreign oil’," continued Crane. "This network will be built with private funds on a sustainable business model that will allow NRG to maintain and grow the network as EV adoption grows."
Opinion: Distributed Generation Drives Industry Transformation
The agreement calls for a network that will bring:
-- A minimum of 200 direct current (DC) fast chargers to the state.
-- A minimum of 10,000 parking spaces retrofitted with wiring necessary to charge EVs at multifamily buildings, large worksites and civic sites such as universities and hospitals.
-- Training and jobs for the installation and maintenance of these charging stations in California.
-- Advanced charging services that increase the speed and power of dc fast charging, store electricity to minimize peak-period demand, and enable EV drivers to support electrical grid reliability with needed energy services through vehicle to grid technology enhancement and implementation.
-- Significant additional investment in California’s clean technology economy and hundreds of jobs in construction and EV infrastructure manufacturing, maintenance and management.
-- Approximately $100 million in infrastructure investment over four years, and $20 million in cash to go to the California Public Utility Commission.
More news and information regarding the latest developments in Smart Grid electronics can be found at Darnell’s SmartGridElectronics.Net.
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