PG&E, Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center Demonstrate Vehicle-to-Grid Technology in California
MWN-AI** Summary
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center are collaborating on a groundbreaking demonstration of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology in California. This pilot project, located at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid in McKinleyville, utilizes two previous-generation Nissan Leaf electric vehicles and an innovative bidirectional charging system to enhance energy resilience and provide grid support.
The initiative is designed to showcase how electric vehicles can serve not just as modes of transportation but also as critical energy assets. By integrating Fermata Energy's Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) optimization platform with the microgrid, the project enhances local energy management and supports broader grid stability. Both Nissan Leaf vehicles are strategically used to offset grid usage, yielding significant cost savings for local government and allowing participation in California's Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) during times of grid stress.
Additionally, the project employs advanced control functionalities developed by the Schatz Center, which allow for real-time management of solar energy and battery storage. This ensures that energy is effectively balanced across the microgrid, increasing its capacity to operate independently during local outages and leveraging clean energy resources.
Key stakeholders emphasize the project's scalability and potential to transform community energy strategies statewide. This collaboration aligns with California's ambitious renewable energy goals, aiming for 60% renewable energy by 2030 and achieving a fully renewable and zero-carbon grid by 2045. The learnings from this pilot could significantly influence future development of electric vehicle infrastructure and microgrid dynamics, aiding in California's transition to a sustainable energy future.
MWN-AI** Analysis
The collaboration among PG&E, Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center presents an innovative shift towards leveraging electric vehicles (EVs) for energy resilience and cost savings in California. This pilot project at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid utilizes bi-directional charging to integrate previous-generation Nissan LEAFs into the grid, showcasing the potential of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) applications.
For investors, the implications are significant. PG&E (NYSE: PCG), as a public utility, is positioning itself as a leader in grid resilience initiatives, which are increasingly crucial in the face of climate change and related grid disruptions. The integration of EVs for energy management could lead to a decrease in operational costs and improved service reliability, making PG&E a potentially robust investment, especially as California moves towards ambitious renewable energy targets.
Nissan, a key player in the EV market, benefits by demonstrating practical applications for their vehicles beyond transportation. This initiative may reinforce Nissan's commitment to sustainability, appealing to environmentally conscious investors while fostering stronger partnerships within the energy sector, which could improve their market share in the growing EV landscape.
Fermata Energy, positioned as a technology supplier, offers an exciting investment opportunity, given its role in V2X optimization. As more utilities and municipalities consider similar partnerships to utilize EVs for grid support, Fermata’s technology could see heightened demand.
Finally, the Schatz Energy Research Center not only furthers research on microgrid development but also enhances its credibility among governmental and educational institutions, potentially unlocking new funding sources and partnerships.
In summary, the advancements from this collaborative project present a multifaceted opportunity. Investors should closely monitor these companies as they pioneer integrated energy solutions that align with California's clean energy goals.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
PG&E, Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center Demonstrate Vehicle-to-Grid Technology in California
PR Newswire
Collaborative Effort Demonstrates the use of Previous Generation Electric Vehicles and Bidirectional Charging Technologies within a Microgrid for Customer Cost Savings, Grid Support, and Energy Resilience
OAKLAND, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Nissan, and Fermata Energy are collaborating on a first-of-its-kind demonstration of automated frequency capabilities integrating electric vehicles and bi-directional chargers with a multi-customer microgrid to provide grid support and enhance energy resilience.
PG&E, Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt, along with the Humboldt County Aviation Division, have implemented Fermata Energy's Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) optimization platform integrated using two previous generation model year 2020-21 Nissan LEAF vehicles equipped with CHAdeMO quick charge ports and four bidirectional FE-20 charging stations at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid (RCAM) in McKinleyville, Calif.
"Integrating bidirectional chargers and EVs at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid is an innovative solution that will expand the capacity of the site, extending the capability for powering the airport during local grid outages and providing another clean energy resource for ensuring statewide grid stability," said Mike Delaney, Vice President, Utility Partnerships and Innovation, PG&E. "The project showcases innovative Vehicle-to-Microgrid (V2M) technologies and demonstrates how EVs can support local energy needs and grid resilience."
RCAM is jointly operated by PG&E and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Humboldt County's local energy provider. The capacity and capabilities of the microgrid are enhanced to enable the advanced automated grid frequency response demonstration of Fermata Energy's V2X platform, an important part of PG&E's grid resilience efforts and an industry-first accomplishment.
"At Fermata Energy, we see a real opportunity to transform electric vehicles from simple modes of transportation into critical energy assets. By integrating our intelligent V2X platform and bidirectional chargers, we are delivering measurable cost savings, valuable grid services and enhanced local energy resilience. This pilot provides a scalable blueprint for communities, fleets, and utilities to harness EVs as distributed energy resources, accelerating the transition to a cleaner and more reliable grid in California and beyond," said Hamza Lemsaddek, Chief Operating Officer of Fermata Energy.
The project also incorporates advanced microgrid control functionality developed by the Schatz Center, allowing the EVs to support the microgrid in balancing solar energy and battery energy storage in real time, enhancing both local resilience and broader grid stability.
"We are proud to have led the technical integration of this important pilot project that advances local resiliency and deep decarbonization and can play an important role in the community microgrids that are being developed across California's rural north coast and beyond," says David Carter, Principal Engineer at the Schatz Energy Research Center.
How the Project Works
The Humboldt County Aviation Division purchased one 2021 Nissan LEAF as a participant in this pilot project. Nissan provided a second 2020 Nissan LEAF under an agreement with Humboldt County.
Their batteries will offset grid usage and provide electric bill savings for Humboldt County.
"Nissan is proud to collaborate on innovative projects that explore how electric vehicles can contribute to energy resilience and sustainability. This pilot demonstrates the potential for EVs to support local energy needs and grid stability, and we look forward to continuing to work with partners like PG&E to explore these technologies," said Rich Miller, Vice President, Vehicle Connected Services, Nissan U.S. and Canada.
The two-vehicle fleet is available to county staff for work activities. When not in use, the EVs are plugged into the bidirectional chargers, which can both charge and discharge the EV batteries. When discharging, the energy from the batteries is used for energy management, providing electric bill savings for Humboldt County.
Additionally, the vehicles respond to grid stress events, generating revenue by participating in California's Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP). When the statewide or regional grid is under stress, the V2X system will respond to signals from California's ELRP. This allows vehicle owners to voluntarily support the statewide electricity grid during periods of stress and earn revenue by sending electricity back to the grid.
When RCAM is islanded (i.e., not connected to the grid), the car-charger combinations will operate normally unless the microgrid's batteries are nearly full or empty. In those cases, the Schatz Center's new microgrid control functionality uses small changes in grid frequency to command available car-charger combinations to either inject power into the microgrid to prevent the microgrid battery from becoming depleted or absorb excess solar energy if the microgrid battery is full.
The project partners anticipate the project will yield valuable learnings and results for designing and implementing new grid architectures in support of California's goals of being 60 percent renewable by 2030 and 100 percent renewable and zero-carbon by 2045.
PG&E's V2X Pilot Offerings
Through its V2X pilots, PG&E is working with automakers such as Nissan and electric vehicle V2X platform service providers such as Fermata Energy to explore how light- and medium-duty EVs can help customers and the electric grid in various ways. These include providing backup power to critical infrastructure, optimizing EV charging and discharging to integrate more renewable resources, and aligning EV charging and discharging with the real-time energy procurement cost, which helps customers save money and reduce energy costs.
In addition to this microgrid project, PG&E has V2X pilot projects for its residential and commercial customers, offering financial incentives for participating customers and additional benefits for those in disadvantaged and priority communities, as identified in California Assembly Bill 841. The upfront incentives for the V2X pilots, along with performance-based incentives and enrollment in the ELRP, can provide additional savings to help offset the costs of purchasing and installing a bidirectional EV charger.
For more information or to enroll in the pilot projects, visit Vehicle to Everything (V2X) Pilot Programs (pge.com)
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than sixteen million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news
About Fermata Energy
Fermata Energy, a subsidiary of Nuvve Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: NVVE), is a leading provider of intelligent Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) platform services and bidirectional charging technologies, including Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), Vehicle-to-Home (V2H), and Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) solutions. Fermata Energy's proprietary platform enables customers to transform electric vehicles into distributed energy resources, delivering demand charge management, grid services, and backup power capabilities while accelerating the transition to cleaner, more resilient energy systems. Founded in 2010, Fermata Energy continues to lead the deployment of V2X solutions across fleets, facilities, and the grid. To learn more, visit https://fermataenergy.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About the Schatz Energy Research Center
The Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt is a leader in renewable energy microgrid development. Recent projects include California's first front-of-the-meter, 100% renewable energy microgrid at the Redwood Coast Airport, and two solar-based microgrids at the Blue Lake Rancheria. The Schatz Center is currently working with the Hoopa, Yurok, and Blue Lake Rancheria Tribes, in partnership with the Redwood Coast Energy Authority and PG&E, to develop a nested microgrid system that will address outages across one of California's most vulnerable distribution circuits. For more information, visit https://schatzcenter.org/microgrids and follow the Center on LinkedIn.
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company
FAQ**
How might the collaboration between Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PCG), Nissan, and Fermata Energy influence the adoption of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technologies and what implications could this have for future energy policies in California?
In what ways could Nissan's involvement in the Vdemonstration project impact its electric vehicle sales and brand perception in the growing EV market, especially in relation to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PCG)?
What challenges do you foresee in scaling the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) optimization platform developed by Fermata Energy, given the current energy infrastructure constraints faced by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PCG)?
How will the insights gained from the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid project, managed by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PCG) and the Schatz Energy Research Center, contribute to advancing microgrid resilience efforts across California?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Nuvve Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: NVVE).
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