Denmark's electric dreams

Denmark aims to be the global leader in developing a national electric vehicle charging network that uses the cars' batteries as a storage reservoir to balance the intermittency of wind. Gerard O'Dwyer looks at the country's plans.

The state-backed Edison project (electric vehicles in a distributed and integrated market using sustainable energy and open networks) is a vital pillar in this green strategy. Operated by a consortium that includes Dong, Siemens, IBM, Dansk Energi, Ostkraft and Eurisco, Edison is charged with developing a smart electrical power infrastructure for charging electric vehicles.
This infrastructure must enable electric vehicles to communicate intelligently with the grid, so that they charge themselves only when they are supposed to. The system will also allow users to communicate with the grid using mobile phones, so they can set charging times when power is cheap. ...more.