‘Electric cars could feed power from batteries into grid’: Cool Planet founder

Norman Crowley of Crowley Carbon sees a future in which large numbers of parked EVs could provide back-up supply for intermittent renewable sources

Norman Crowley, founder of Cool Planet Group: ‘If an electric car is plugged in at home or at work it can just stop charging when the grid supply is tight. And then when there’s too much power the car can start charging to take in that excess power.’ Picture: Justin Farrelly

Norman Crowley has an idea that could help balance the national energy grid.

Most people think of electric cars as a growing source of energy demand over the coming decades, but the serial entrepreneur believes a fleet of car batteries could provide the means to support electricity supplies.

The son of a farmer from Clonakilty, Co Cork, Crowley is the founder of Cool Planet Group, which comprises a number of businesses including AVA, an electric ...