The report extends an earlier analysis of rural PV and heat pumps to include an evaluation of the potential for bidirectional EV charging. Rural China is undergoing a vast build-out of rooftop solar, but also suffers from grid constraints that hinder absorption of midday PV, making local energy storage potentially important for shifting PV overproduction to other hours.
The report “Bidirectional charging as a strategy for rural PV integration in China” prepared by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies concludes that electrification of personal transportation is a critical aspect of the global low-carbon energy transition. China’s rural areas, especially in eastern China, have begun to rapidly scale-up rooftop solar, offering potential synergies with other strategies to electrify household energy consumption, such as for heating and transportation.
Bidirectional home charging faces major challenges, both in terms of upfront cost and in the economics of charging. Possible solutions include sharing of charging equipment, and encouraging grid companies to subsidise and coordinate bidirectional charging, possibly through optimising charging for the wider grid, instead of for a single household.
Access the complete report here.
