????隨著風能和太陽能發電比例的加大，讓電網負擔彈性化的價值還會變得更大。電動汽車可以在太陽能和風能發電的高峰時期充電，以避免這些寶貴的電力資源被浪費。在不遠的將來，隨著“還電入網”技術的成熟（Vehicle-to-Grid，即在用電高峰時通過逆變技術向電網回饋能量），電動汽車的價值還會進一步提高。

????在充電站網絡的建設上，美國加州走在了前列。當地最大的三家電力公司：太平洋電氣、南加州愛迪生和圣地亞哥電氣正計劃投資11億美元建設約6萬個公共充電樁。相比之下，根據2009年的《美國復蘇與再投資法案》，聯邦政府只調撥了約4億美元用于建設公用充電站。美國的其他電力公司也在紛紛建設汽車充電站，如南方電力和堪薩斯市電力照明公司等。

????至于電力公司是否應該自己擁有和運營電動汽車充電站，目前仍有一定爭議。不過包括充電公司、電力公司、汽車廠商和非政府組織在內的許多利益相關方都普遍認為，電力公司應該擴大在公共充電基礎設施領域的投資，這一點從加州公共事業委員會最近的一項決議中便可看出。通過與充電公司和汽車廠商的合作，電力公司有機會使他們的投資得到最有效的利用。

????未來的低碳經濟主要依靠用無碳能源來取代煤炭、石油和天然氣。用可再生電力給電動汽車充電，則是大大減少碳排放污染的重要戰略。電力公司攜手充電公司、汽車廠商和可再生能源供應商投資公共充電設施，為加速實現這一愿景提供了一個難得的雙贏機會。更廣泛地說，在整個基礎設施（包括軟件、其它需要集成電動汽車的系統建設、存儲、間歇性可再生能源的客戶需求解決方案）投資的過程中，電力公司都扮演了不可替代的角色。這些協作型商業模式為解決氣候變化挑戰帶來了巨大希望，同時也將促進創新，并提高電網利用率。（財富中文網）

????本文作者南希·普方德是舊金山風投機構DBL Partners的創始人兼任事股東。DBL控股的企業包括特斯拉的早期投資方SolarCity公司，她本人也是SolarCity的董事會成員之一。

????譯者：樸成奎

????審校：任文科

????The value of having a flexible load on the grid will grow even further with higher amounts of wind and solar. Electric vehicles can be programmed to charge during peak solar or wind generation periods, preventing this valuable electricity from being wasted. In the future, electric vehicles could increase their value by putting electricity back into the grid as well (commonly known as “Vehicle-to-Grid” or V2G).

????California is leading the way. The three largest utilities – Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric – are seeking to invest $1.1 billion in infrastructure deployment to support 60,000 publicly available charging ports. In comparison, the federal government as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 stimulus packageappropriated about $400 million for the nation to help install infrastructure stations. Other utilities across the country are also moving forward with installing charging stations, including Southern Company and Kansas City Power and Light.

????While there is legitimate debate as to whether utilities should go as far as owning and operating recharge stations, there is broad agreement among stakeholders — including charging companies, utilities, automakers, and NGOs — that utilities should expand their investments in publicly available infrastructure, as evidenced by a recent decision at the California Public Utilities Commission. By partnering with charging companies and automakers, utility companies have the opportunity to make the most effective use of their investments.

????The future low carbon economy will critically depend on replacing coal, oil and natural gas with zero carbon energy. Charging electric vehicles on renewable electricity is a key strategy for achieving deep reductions in carbon pollution. Utility investments in charging infrastructure, partnered with charging companies EV manufacturers and renewable energy providers, offer a rare win-win-win opportunity to accelerate this vision. More broadly, the utilities have a critical role to play through the infrastructure investment, including software and other systems needed to integrate EVs, storage, and customer demand solutions with intermittent renewable energy production . Together, these new collaborative business models offer tremendous promise to address climate change while driving innovation and better grid utilization.

????Nancy E. Pfund is founder and managing partner of DBL Partners, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm. DBL owns SolarCity, which was an early investor of Tesla. Pfund sits on the board of directors of SolarCity.