ENERGY EFFICIENT TRANSPORT
HOW EVS CAN CREATE OPPORTUNITIES (AND THREATS) FOR THE GRID
An upsurge in the use of
electric vehicles will put the electricity grid under greater
pressure, meaning communication between energy suppliers and customers is becoming even more important. Rolf Bienert, managing & technical director of the OpenADR Alliance, comments
E
arlier this year, the UK Government announced new measures that will support the move
to electric vehicles (EVs) as part of its goal to transition to a Net Zero future. This points to transport being a key driver for achieving decarbonisation goals. However, an EV infrastructure that is fit for purpose has come under increasing scrutiny. Two years ago, research by the Competition and
Markets Authority (CMA) concluded that the UK will need ten times more EV charging points by 2030 if it is to meet its Net Zero emissions target. Following publication of its Electric Vehicle
infrastructure Strategy last year to set out the vision for the rollout of an EV charging infrastructure, the Government has introduced a new £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, as well as additional funding for the On-street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). This aims to support the rollout of new charging points and increasing EV infrastructure across the country. While it is positive news that legislation is
helping push for EV adoption, increasingly vocal concerns over charge points is putting people off ‘going electric’. To reassure drivers, charge points must be easy to find and have up-to-date information on availability with clear pricing. When people are confident there is a viable
network of fast and affordable charge points in locations they need them, when they need them, they will start to make the switch.
PUTTING THE GRID UNDER PRESSURE But let’s consider the other side of electric vehicle adoption – the growing demand for electricity. If everyone buys electric, we know that grid capacity will be put under greater
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pressure, particularly at certain times of the day. So, for example, when people come home in the evening and want to recharge their car. With peak use from 4-6pm, the grid will have to balance this increased demand for power. Electricity companies could offset this by
incentivising customers to charge their vehicles outside of these peak periods by offering lower rates. With bills going up and people looking to reduce household costs, offering ways for them to save money will be important. The DESNZ and Ofgem published plans this year for domestic charging. The Electric Vehicle Smart Charging Action Plan outlines steps to unlock the power of EV charging, offering people the opportunity to charge their vehicles at home but also to power their homes using excess electricity stored in their vehicle, or sell the excess back to the grid. The fact is that car batteries have a surprising
amount of power stored in them, potentially offering hours of energy capacity. At some point in the future, new generations of EVs will be designed for this purpose, essentially to serve as an additional source of backup power. This is an idea that is already being trialled in
the US, with Ford working with utilities and service providers to pilot so-called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) programs. One company, Duke Energy, is offering two programs to customers that use EVs to help manage the grid. The first is aimed at reducing demand for electricity at peak times, while the other will increase resilience for residential consumers. The vehicle acts as a mobile energy storage unit that uses energy, but also supplies it when demand is high. The vision is that many thousands of EVs
could form a virtual power station at homes, places of work and even on the move.
COMMUNICATION With more distributed energy resources (DER), such as electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, storage devices, and so on, there is the risk that the grid becomes even more complex. When this happens, the communication between energy suppliers and customers becomes even more important. Standardised information exchange on energy consumption, pricing and capacity is the basis for effective load control, enabling suppliers to respond flexibly to fluctuating demand. Distribution system operators need to communicate this information to customers quickly and securely using open standards like OpenADR.
MEETING CHALLENGES With Jaguar Land Rover recently announcing plans to build a factory producing electric car batteries in the UK, it’s a clear indication of where the market is heading. We have some challenges to resolve first with the increasing load on the grid and automation of load control, but with new funding, initiatives and innovation, the industry can meet these challenges.
Rolf Bienert
OpenADR Alliance
www.openadr.org
ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Autumn 2023 27
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