PG&E, Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center Demonstrate Vehicle-to-Grid Technology in California

Rhea-AI Summary

Pacific Gas and Electric (PCG), Nissan, Fermata Energy and the Schatz Energy Research Center demonstrated automated vehicle-to-grid (V2X) technology at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid in McKinleyville, Calif. on Nov. 13, 2025.

The pilot used two previous-generation 2020–21 Nissan LEAF vehicles, four Fermata FE-20 bidirectional chargers and Fermata's V2X optimization platform to provide grid frequency response, revenue from California's Emergency Load Reduction Program, electric-bill savings for Humboldt County, and enhanced microgrid resilience.

Insights

Grid Integration Engineer

Pilot shows practical V2X use for microgrid resilience, customer bill savings, and grid services.

The collaboration between PG&E, Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center integrates two 2020–21 Nissan LEAF vehicles and four bidirectional FE-20 chargers into the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid to charge, discharge, and provide automated frequency response while islanded or connected.

Operationally, the system supplies local loads, offsets grid consumption to produce electric bill savings for Humboldt County, and participates in California's Emergency Load Reduction Program to earn revenue; the Schatz Center's microgrid control adds real‑time balancing between solar, stationary storage, and vehicle batteries. Dependencies and risks include the limited scale (two vehicles), reliance on CHAdeMO-equipped legacy vehicles and specific charger models, and correct signaling/participation in the ELRP to realize stated savings and revenue.

Key monitorable items: measured energy bill savings for Humboldt County, ELRP dispatch events and revenue realized, and technical data showing frequency-response performance; also watch progress toward California goals 2030 (60% renewable) and 2045 (100% renewable/zero‑carbon) as the partners cite those targets.

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.

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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company

FAQ

What did PG&E announce about the V2X demonstration at Redwood Coast Airport on Nov. 13, 2025 (PCG)?

PG&E announced a pilot using two 2020–21 Nissan LEAFs, four FE-20 bidirectional chargers and Fermata's V2X platform to provide frequency response, bill savings and microgrid resilience.

How do the Nissan LEAF vehicles in the PCG pilot provide value to Humboldt County?

When idle and plugged in, the LEAF batteries can discharge to offset grid usage, lower electric bills and earn revenue via California's ELRP.

What grid services did the PCG V2X project demonstrate on Nov. 13, 2025?

The project demonstrated automated grid frequency response, vehicle-to-microgrid balancing, ELRP participation and integration with solar and battery storage.

Which equipment and partners were involved in the PCG microgrid V2X demonstration?

Partners included PG&E, Nissan, Fermata Energy and the Schatz Energy Research Center using two Nissan LEAFs and four Fermata FE-20 bidirectional chargers.

Can participants in PG&E's V2X pilots earn incentives or revenue (PCG)?

Yes; PG&E's V2X pilots offer upfront and performance-based incentives and enrollment in ELRP can provide additional revenue during grid stress events.

How does the Schatz Center's control system work in the PCG V2X microgrid pilot?

The Schatz Center's control uses small frequency changes to command car-charger combinations to inject or absorb power to balance microgrid battery and solar output.