• Energy Research
• 11. Sustainability close

Abstract Increasing environmental concerns are driving an evolution of the energy system in which electric vehicles (EVs) play an important role. Still, as the EV number increases, the adverse impact of charging is observed more widely, especially at the low-voltage level where high EV concentrations cause various detrimental effects due to the coincidence between EV charging and residential peak load. However, if managed properly, EVs become flexible resources which can improve the system operation, making them an attractive asset for the distribution system operator. With the recent technology development, new forms of local EV support can be developed, provided that an appropriate regulatory framework is established. Whereas the technical value of such EV distribution grid services has already been proven, integrating them into the European regulatory context is not straightforward. In the context where active distribution grid management schemes are still to be developed, it is important to recognise the barriers for active EV involvement in the early stage of the development. This manuscript focuses on identifying these barriers from a technology and infrastructure perspective as well as from the regulatory and market aspect. Various policy recommendations are provided for the stakeholders involved in the EV value chain.

Abstract Charging electric vehicles is regarded as trivial with chargers installed on private property, which could accommodate the demand of 78% of the Danish cars. Hence, the owners would rarely need to charge outside the household. Car owners in the cities often do not have this option and must rely on the public charging infrastructure. In this work we quantify the need, in terms of energy demand, for public chargers on a national level and in the largest Danish cities as a function of car ownership, driving distance and household parking condition. We assess the potential of destination charging at existing shared parking facilities next to the household and the workplace to reduce the public charging demand to be up to 87%. EVs with 300 km range are able to complete the daily driving distance without range extending charging in 98.4% of the days. The analysis relies on driving and ownership data based on the Danish national transport survey. Further, we identify suitable/optimal locations for the necessary public chargers based on the total amount of parking time spent by a car at different destinations and the duration of a stay. We generalise the relationship between publicly available information such as population density and city size and the parameters that determine the public charging demand. The systematic approach enables others to estimate the demand in time and space for other cities or countries.

Smart integration of different energy sectors on islands could serve as a key to achieve their energy independence and carbon neutrality goals and facilitate the large-scale penetration of renewables. Demonstration projects play a vital role in testing innovative sector-coupling solutions and exploring their synergies in the real-life environment. They also help to build the required market confidence and awareness, verify and enhance the societal acceptance, and identify and prevent unnecessary risks and complications. The aim of this paper is to provide the reader with a comprehensive review of 19 research projects, which concern the demonstration of sector-coupling technologies on European islands. The projects are funded by the European Commission and started between 2010 and 2020. The review focuses on the exploration of various technical aspects of 28 demo pilots. In addition, it addresses objectives, contributions, and novelty of the demonstrations and analyses barriers, challenges, risks, and success factors reported by project stakeholders. The paper intends to support the decision-makers on the identification, adoption, and replication of successful technologies. Moreover, it provides researchers and other interested parties with lessons learnt to ensure the successful project execution and technology demonstration in future projects.