Despite being perceived as a purely oil obsessed state, Texas is actually a leading market for wind power. Which has created the usual intermittency problems associated with wind power.

Grid operator ERCOT has stepped in and is experimenting with multiple frequency regulation ideas to better stabilize the grid. Frequency regulation differs from demand response in that frequency regulation requires sub-second response times to balance the grid and maintain 60 Hz.

Greentech Media reports that ERCOT is experimenting with some megawatt sized batteries on trucks, one 36 megawatt sized battery in particular. Tapping EV batteries is a logical next idea though so far ERCOT has swatted down that idea.

One of the appeals of EV batteries is that they are a storage resource that doesn’t have to be bought and installed only for frequency regulation, said Mitchem. But the grid operator doesn’t want to manage lots of 60-kilowatt-hour batteries.

“The 36-megawatt [device] is fairly easy to represent as both a generator and a load, but when it came to EVs, we’re not really interested in each of the twelve vehicles,” said Ragsdale. “We need it represented as a resource.”

One would think that some smart software developers could figure out a way to network and aggregate a number of EVs so that they’re represented as one reliable resource for a grid operator. Particularly as EV penetration creeps up over the next five years. Until then, truck sized batteries, I guess.