A winemaker has used the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability of his Nissan Leaf electric vehicle (EV) to shave $2,000 off his annual electricity bill with a newly installed solar array saving a further $4,000 per year. 

South Australian winemaker Joseph Evans had grown frustrated at an annual electricity bill that had climbed to $6,000 for his Barossa Valley vineyard, before deciding to do something about it.

His first step was to install a rooftop solar system that could entirely power his property during daylight hours, immediately removing $4,000 from his annual power bill.

He then accessed the V2G capability of his Nissan Leaf to solve the remaining part of the puzzle –how to power his home and property at night, which accounted for the remaining $2,000 of his annual power costs.

“I’ve gone from a $6,000 annual power bill to making around $50 per week in profit selling my excess power back to the grid,” said Mr Evans, winemaker and proprietor of Ballycroft vineyard in South Australia’s Barossa Valley.

“That’s more than $2,500 in annual profit, from what was once a significant cost.

“And what’s even better is the fact that, while fuel and electricity prices are only heading in one direction — and that direction is up — my costs are fixed, and fixed at zero.”

The winemaker is one of the first in Australia to put V2G technology to the test in a real-world setting, using charging infrastructure supplied by JET Charge and the 40kWh battery in his Nissan Leaf EV.

The process entails plugging his vehicle into the V2G charger and using the stored energy in the battery to power his home and property overnight, before replenishing the battery in the morning via solar power.

“This is a game-changer and I wanted to be right at the front of the queue to have V2G installed. It makes me entirely self-sufficient with my power needs, makes my home and business more sustainable, and it’s so easy to use.”

Nissan did not specify how long the solar array took to recharge the car’s battery.

A charging application on his phone means Mr Evans can choose to charge his vehicle or discharge the power from it.

The vehicle is claimed to provide enough energy for all Mr Evans living, heating and cooling needs, as well as meeting the agricultural requirements of his 10-acre vineyard.

He also feeds excess energy back into the grid, earning a rebate tariff.

When done at scale, meaning with hundreds or thousands of V2G-equipped EVs, the process could also play a role in helping to stabilise the power grid by providing energy to help stabilise the load in peak and off-peak periods, when demand for grid power fluctuates significantly.

The vineyard is among the first businesses in Australia to pilot V2G in a real-world setting, following a trial of the technology using 51 Nissan Leaf’s deployed across the ACT as part of the Realising Electric Vehicle Services (REVS) project.

Nissan’s National Manager of Electrification and Mobility Ben Warren said it was exciting to see the technology now being piloted in a residential and commercial setting.

“V2G transforms the Nissan Leaf from a vehicle into a mobile energy storage solution, at once meeting both your transport and home energy needs,” Mr Warren said. 

“We’ve seen this technology deployed internationally and it’s so exciting to now see it begin rolling out across Australia, first in the ACT with the REVS project, and now with our first customer site in SA.”

Nissan said the Leaf was the only factory-delivered and warranted V2G-capable battery electric vehicle on the market.

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