General Motors Co. said Wednesday that its OnStar unit has partnered with a Maryland-based company that makes solar charging canopies that store energy in a project to show how solar energy from an electric vehicle can be sent to the electric grid.
The automaker said its work with TimberRock Energy Solutions Inc. is the first real world use of OnStar’s Demand Response software which can control the plug-in Chevrolet Volt’s charging. OnStar gave TimberRock access to its Smart Grid application programming interface so it can determine when to start, stop or modify the charge going to a Volt. TimberRock has software that determines when an electric vehicle can be used to support the electric grid and sell energy back to help peak demand, GM said.