The first of two twin centers designed to promote common standards in electric mobility and smart grids between the U.S. and Europe has opened near Chicago, Ill.
The new Interoperability Center for electric vehicles and smart grids was inaugurated last week at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill. following the signing of a Letter of Intent for closer cooperation by the JRC, the European Commission’s in-house science service, and the DOE in 2011. The second facility will reportedly be opened at the JRC sites in Petten, The Netherlands and Ispra, Italy in 2014.
As technology continues to advance and global dependence on electrical power systems increase, interest in more efficient, sustainable power systems capable of handling increased demand continues to grow. Sales of electric vehicles are also expected to grow exponentially as the next generation of cars and grid systems continue to demonstrate cost savings for consumers.
The new center will be used to ensure that all vehicles, charging stations, communications and networking systems work in unison with the electric grid, the DOE said.
According to the JRC, “the interaction between smart grids – intelligent electricity systems – and electric vehicles will ensure economically efficient, sustainable power systems with low losses and high security of supply and safety. Smart grids, as upgraded electricity networks, will provide a two-way digital communication between supplier and consumer [and] will predict and respond to the actions of all users connected to the grid.”
“Converging standards and interoperability between smart grids and electric vehicles will allow for deeper penetration of renewable energies in the electricity systems, thus facilitating the way to a low-carbon economy,” the JRC adds. “Technology harmonization will drive product and service innovation in the two world’s largest economies and could prove instrumental in establishing global standards for electric mobility.”
