Transportation Electrification

Lessons from TVA’s Non-Road EV (NREV) Program

This article is republished from the 2020 issue of AESP Magazine, an official publication of the Association of Energy Services Professionals. To view the full issue, click here.

Transportation electrification . . . today, it has the demand-side management (DSM) industry so confused that many suspect we are operating in Abbott and Costello’s famous “Who’s on First?” comedy routine! Is it because EVs were around 100 years ago, disappeared, and are now back again? Or, is it because EVs are being included in DSM programs that were developed to reduce energy consumption, not increase it? How come we are using EVs to beneficially increase electric load, just so that we can curtail it during peak events some time in the future? Can we really use the state-of-the-art EV battery technology for vehicle-to-grid energy storage? Can EVs really be a single technology that fits the definition of “integrated demand-side management” (IDSM) all by itself? These questions are only the tip of the iceberg that is driving the increasingly loud call for decarbonization goals and measures. It’s no wonder we feel like we are working within a comedy routine written as an endless loop. Luckily, there are a lot of smart people in this industry working to untie this knot.

Regardless of how the questions above get answered, and the program label the DSM industry ultimately applies to EVs, this technology provides value to the utility, the customers, and the community, which is the win-win-win opportunity we seek within our program designs.

Please download the full article below to read more about the TVA EnergyRight for Business & Industry Program, and its implementer TRC on a journey of innovation – as the value proposition from a Non-Road EV Program provides the confidence and courage to transition completely from energy efficiency to beneficial electrification.