2010

School of Electrical Engineering &

Telecomm

unications

UNSW ENGINEERING @

UNSW

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10Author – Joshua WestonSupervisor – Dr. Iain MacGill

Electric Vehicles and the GridCan we power the vehicles of tomorrow?

ResultsUnmanaged Charging - ResidentialResults from the EVOLT show there is a degree of ‘headroom’ before the majority of EnergyAustralia assets that were considered are overloaded. High penetrations of EVs can be supported without managed charging if the distance travelled per vehicle is relatively small.

BackgroundThere are numerous factors driving the implementation and utilisation of EVs, and this is an issue of growing attention throughout the world. The success of EVs is highly dependant upon their successful integration within the distribution grid.

ConclusionResults from this thesis suggest that the distribution network can cope with varying levels of EV ownership from EnergyAustralia’s customers. Electric vehicles represent a dynamic and relatively unpredictable new load on the grid. The implementation of even a basic load management strategy can greatly enhance the efficiency at which distribution assets can be utilised, however EnergyAustralia assets should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

MethodologyThe EVOLT (Electric Vehicle Operational Load Tool) developed in this thesis, combines accurate models of vehicle battery charging, models of EnergyAustralia’s distribution network and models of daily commute, travel times and distances in order to investigate the potential impacts of electric vehicles on the local distribution network.

network augmentation is to be expected. EVs have the potential to lead to serious network expenditure implications.

There are numerous questions asked of Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSP) in terms of energy supply and load management. As

Managed Charging - ResidentialThe EVOLT predicts Electric Vehicle load responding favourably to load management, enabling a significantly higher percentage of penetration of EVs to be supported. High percentage EV penetrations can still overload EA assets at existing kiosk and zone firm ratings.

Commercial Customers - CityCommercial customers are in a unique position where EV users typically arrive at their point of charging prior to the Zone Substation load peak. Thus, the ideal management strategy is to fast charge EVs prior to the zone reaching its load peak. This has the effect of EV load not compiling with existing zone load, and merely widening the period of zone peak output. High percentage penetrations of EVs will still overload EA assets at existing firm ratings.

Acknowledgements:The author would like to thank EnergyAustralia, ChargePoint and BetterPlace for their help, support and guidance in this thesis.

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AbstractThe rollout of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is in its initial stages, with significant numbers of vehicles to be on sale in the retail market, in the next three to five years. This thesis examines ‘The Potential Impacts of Electric Vehicles on the Local Distribution Network’. There is currently some headroom for EV penetration inherently within EnergyAustralia assets, and the load from Electric Vehicle penetrations responds positively to load management. However, there exists a large degree of variance between areas and assets, and as such, each area should be examined on a case-by-case basis.

1Department of Environment and Climate Change, Economic Viability of Electric Vehicles, 04/09/09Kaplan, S., Sargent, R., Environment America Research & Policy Center, Plug-In Cars - Powering America Toward a Cleaner Future, Jan 2010The City of New York, plaNYC – Exploring Electric Vehicle Adoption in New York City, Jan 2010

Sydney’s primary DNSP, EnergyAustralia must be prepared for this new challenge. Management of the Distribution Network is a key element of the total costs involved and thus, overall value of this new technology. As new technologies lead to additional peak demand and overall load,

Although significant research has been undertaken into the impending effects of EVs1, this thesis is unique as it investigates the specific impacts of EVs on the Distribution Network in Sydney.