Electric Vehicles Transform Into Powerful Grid Balancing Assets
Affiliate Disclosure
Hey fellow impactful ninja ?
You may have noticed that Impactful Ninja is all about providing helpful information to make a positive impact on the world and society. And that we love to link back to where we found all the information for each of our posts.
Most of these links are informational-based for you to check out their primary sources with one click.
But some of these links are so-called "affiliate links" to products that we recommend.
Why do we add these product links?
First and foremost, because we believe that they add value to you. For example, when we wrote a post about the environmental impact of long showers, we came across an EPA recommendation to use WaterSense showerheads. So we linked to where you can find them. Or, for many of our posts, we also link to our favorite books on that topic so that you can get a much more holistic overview than one single blog post could provide.
And when there is an affiliate program for these products, we sign up for it. For example, as Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.
What do these affiliate links mean for you?
First, and most importantly, we still only recommend products that we believe add value for you.
When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission - but at no additional costs to you.
And when you buy something through a link that is not an affiliate link, we won’t receive any commission but we’ll still be happy to have helped you.
What do these affiliate links mean for us?
When we find products that we believe add value to you and the seller has an affiliate program, we sign up for it.
When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission (at no extra costs to you).
And at this point in time, all money is reinvested in sharing the most helpful content with you. This includes all operating costs for running this site and the content creation itself.
What does this mean for me personally?
You may have noticed by the way Impactful Ninja is operated that money is not the driving factor behind it. It is a passion project of mine and I love to share helpful information with you to make a positive impact on the world and society. However, it's a project in that I invest a lot of time and also quite some money.
Eventually, my dream is to one day turn this passion project into my full-time job and provide even more helpful information. But that's still a long time to go.
Stay impactful,
At Impactful Ninja, we curate positive and impactful news for you. Follow us on Google News or sign up for our free newsletter to get these delivered straight to your inbox—just like our expert roundup below!
📰 The quick summary: Electric vehicles are transforming from energy consumers to mini power plants through vehicle-to-grid technology, helping to balance renewable energy intermittency while saving owners money.
📈 One key stat: A typical EV battery could power a house for three days, with capacity up to 20 times that of typical home battery systems.
💬 One key quote: “It’s a virtuous spiral, and it’s just beginning,” says Dr. Femke Nijsse about how EV adoption and renewable energy create a reinforcing cycle of benefits.
1️⃣ The big picture: Electric vehicles are rapidly gaining popularity, with sales across Europe up 34% in the year to January 2025. Although EVs increase electricity demand on already strained grids, they also present a surprising solution to one of renewable energy’s biggest challenges: storage. Through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, EVs can store excess renewable energy when production is high and feed it back to the grid during peak demand times. This bidirectional capability transforms cars into distributed mini power plants, potentially solving grid balancing issues while supporting greater renewable energy adoption. Car manufacturers are now widely embracing this technology, recognizing its potential to revolutionize our energy systems.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: The emerging vehicle-to-grid technology creates a win-win situation for both EV owners and the electrical grid. Car owners can save significant money—around £880 per year according to Octopus Energy—by charging when electricity is cheap and selling it back when prices peak. The grid benefits from having millions of distributed batteries to draw from during high demand, reducing the need to pay wind farms to shut down during excess production. This technology supports faster renewable energy adoption by solving the intermittency problem of wind and solar power. As more people choose EVs for these financial benefits, costs continue to fall through economies of scale, creating what experts call a “virtuous spiral” of environmental and economic advantages.
3️⃣ What’s next: Technical solutions continue to evolve, with manufacturers deciding whether to include onboard DC-to-AC conversion or rely on external conversion units. Energy suppliers need to develop attractive tariffs that reward EV owners for participating in grid balancing. Consumers interested in participating should research EV models with V2G capability and check if their electricity providers offer compatible tariffs.
Read the full story here: Positive News – ‘It’s a virtuous spiral, and it’s just beginning’: electric vehicles as mini power plants
