• Energy Research

Abstract A rapid increase in the number of electric vehicles is expected in coming years, driven by government incentives and falling battery prices. Charging these vehicles will add significant load to the electricity network, and it is important to understand the impact this will have on both the transmission and distribution level systems, and how smart charging can alleviate it. Here we analyse the effects that charging a large electric vehicle fleet would have on the power network, taking into account the spatial heterogeneity of vehicle use, electricity demand, and network structure. A conditional probability based method is used to model uncontrolled charging demand, and convex optimisation is used to model smart charging. Stochasticity is captured using Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that for Great Britain’s power system, smart charging can simultaneously eliminate the need for additional generation infrastructure required with 100% electric vehicle adoption, while also reducing the percentage of distribution networks which would require reinforcement from 28% to 9%. Discussion is included as to how far these results can be extended to other power systems.

Abstract A rapid increase in the number of electric vehicles is expected in coming years, driven by government incentives and falling battery prices. Charging these vehicles will add significant load to the electricity network, and it is important to understand the impact this will have on both the transmission and distribution level systems, and how smart charging can alleviate it. Here we analyse the effects that charging a large electric vehicle fleet would have on the power network, taking into account the spatial heterogeneity of vehicle use, electricity demand, and network structure. A conditional probability based method is used to model uncontrolled charging demand, and convex optimisation is used to model smart charging. Stochasticity is captured using Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that for Great Britain’s power system, smart charging can simultaneously eliminate the need for additional generation infrastructure required with 100% electric vehicle adoption, while also reducing the percentage of distribution networks which would require reinforcement from 28% to 9%. Discussion is included as to how far these results can be extended to other power systems.

Abstract In recent years, there has been growing interest in AC vehicle-to-grid charging in residential networks. Bi-directional smart charging offers additional flexibility compared to uni-directional smart chargers, but are expensive to install and implement. This paper investigates the costs and benefits to the distribution network that bi-directional charging provides, relative to uni-directional charging. Benefit is quantified in terms of the reduction in the peak demand of the network, and costs are quantified with the increase in throughput of the vehicles’ batteries and the increase in electrical losses in the system. Measured data and representative networks are used to construct two representative case studies of residential charging, one in the UK and one in Texas, US.

Abstract In recent years, there has been growing interest in AC vehicle-to-grid charging in residential networks. Bi-directional smart charging offers additional flexibility compared to uni-directional smart chargers, but are expensive to install and implement. This paper investigates the costs and benefits to the distribution network that bi-directional charging provides, relative to uni-directional charging. Benefit is quantified in terms of the reduction in the peak demand of the network, and costs are quantified with the increase in throughput of the vehicles’ batteries and the increase in electrical losses in the system. Measured data and representative networks are used to construct two representative case studies of residential charging, one in the UK and one in Texas, US.

In this paper, we explore how effectively renewable generation can be used to meet a country’s electricity demands. We consider a range of different generation mixes and capacities, as well as the use of energy storage. First, we introduce a new open-source model that uses hourly wind speed and solar irradiance data to estimate the output of a renewable electricity generator at a specific location. Then, we construct a case study of the Great Britain (GB) electricity system as an example using historic hourly demand and weather data. Three specific sources of renewable generation are considered: offshore wind, onshore wind, and solar PV. Li-ion batteries are considered as the form of electricity storage. We demonstrate that the ability of a renewables-based electricity system to meet expected demand profiles can be increased by optimising the ratio of onshore wind, offshore wind and solar PV. Additionally, we show how including Li-ion battery storage can reduce overall generation needs, therefore lowering system costs. For the GB system, we explore how the residual load that would need to be met with other forms of flexibility, such as dispatchable generation sources or demand-side response, varies for different ratios of renewable generation and storage.

In this paper, we explore how effectively renewable generation can be used to meet a country’s electricity demands. We consider a range of different generation mixes and capacities, as well as the use of energy storage. First, we introduce a new open-source model that uses hourly wind speed and solar irradiance data to estimate the output of a renewable electricity generator at a specific location. Then, we construct a case study of the Great Britain (GB) electricity system as an example using historic hourly demand and weather data. Three specific sources of renewable generation are considered: offshore wind, onshore wind, and solar PV. Li-ion batteries are considered as the form of electricity storage. We demonstrate that the ability of a renewables-based electricity system to meet expected demand profiles can be increased by optimising the ratio of onshore wind, offshore wind and solar PV. Additionally, we show how including Li-ion battery storage can reduce overall generation needs, therefore lowering system costs. For the GB system, we explore how the residual load that would need to be met with other forms of flexibility, such as dispatchable generation sources or demand-side response, varies for different ratios of renewable generation and storage.

Accurately predicting the behaviour of electric vehicles is going to be imperative for network operators. In order for vehicles to participate in either smart charging schemes or providing grid services, their availability and charge requirements must be forecasted. Their relative novelty means that data concerning electric vehicles is scarce and biased, however we have been collecting data on conventional vehicles for many years. This paper uses cluster analysis of travel survey data from the UK to identify typical conventional vehicle usage profiles. To this end, we determine the feature vector, introduce an appropriate distance metric, and choose a number of clusters. Five clusters are identified, and their suitability for electrification is discussed. A smaller data set of electric vehicles is then used to compare the current electric fleet behaviour with the conventional one.

Accurately predicting the behaviour of electric vehicles is going to be imperative for network operators. In order for vehicles to participate in either smart charging schemes or providing grid services, their availability and charge requirements must be forecasted. Their relative novelty means that data concerning electric vehicles is scarce and biased, however we have been collecting data on conventional vehicles for many years. This paper uses cluster analysis of travel survey data from the UK to identify typical conventional vehicle usage profiles. To this end, we determine the feature vector, introduce an appropriate distance metric, and choose a number of clusters. Five clusters are identified, and their suitability for electrification is discussed. A smaller data set of electric vehicles is then used to compare the current electric fleet behaviour with the conventional one.