Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center have launched a pilot that integrates electric vehicles and bidirectional chargers with the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid in McKinleyville, California. The project aims to test automated frequency response, grid support, and microgrid resilience.
The demonstration uses two 2020–2021 Nissan Leaf vehicles with CHAdeMO ports and four FE-20 bidirectional charging stations. The partners installed the equipment as part of a multi-customer microgrid jointly operated by PG&E and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority. The system enables real-time balancing of solar generation, stationary battery storage, and EV charging and discharging.
The Humboldt County Aviation Division purchased one vehicle for the pilot. Nissan provided a second vehicle under an agreement with the county. County staff use the vehicles for work activities. When parked, the vehicles connect to bidirectional chargers that can supply stored energy to the microgrid.
The pilot allows the vehicles to reduce grid consumption and lower electricity costs for Humboldt County. The vehicles also participate in California’s Emergency Load Reduction Program by discharging power during grid stress events. The bidirectional system can support grid operations when connected to the main grid and maintain stable operation when the microgrid is islanded.
The project will provide operational data to inform future microgrid designs and grid-interactive EV programs. It will also help assess how EVs can function as distributed energy resources in rural and remote communities.
PG&E continues to operate additional V2X pilots for residential and commercial customers. These programs evaluate how bidirectional charging can support backup power, renewable integration, and cost-aligned charging and discharging.