The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has joined with the Electric Power Research Institute to conduct a new engineering study of the effects that plug-in hybrid vehicles might have on New York State’s electrical grid, according to a release from the Environment News Service. The study will complement a parallel national study by the Ford Motor Company.

As acceptance of plug-in hybrid vehicles increases, the aggregated impact on the state’s grid and associated emissions from power generating stations could be substantial, NYSERDA said. The study will address four issues:

• Identification of the base-case scenario of transmission/distribution capacity, assuming no plug-in hybrid vehicles
• Identification of several realistic plug-in hybrid vehicles scenarios, including vehicle characteristics and required load support
• Identification of grid, environmental and financial impacts of the various scenarios
• The implications of vehicle-to-grid applications, also called "V2G" or reverse charging

"Governor David Paterson has called for advancing battery technology in New York and specifically, plug-in hybrid vehicles as a way to reduce our use of fossil fuel and complement grid usage,” said Francis J. Murray, Jr., NYSERDA president and CEO. “Plug-in hybrid vehicles can serve as a high-value customer for wind power by recharging overnight when demand and rates are low, and wind power is most plentiful."