Issue link: https://read.utilityweek.co.uk/i/808182
NETWORK / 10 / APRIL 2017 ELECTRIC VEHICLES would enable it to go two years beyond business as usual. To secure the funding, networks must show that the rollout would provide "enduring benefits to consumers" and would be uneconomic to roll out within the balancing services incentive scheme. In terms of the scale of the challenge, it is forecast that major issues for operation will not occur until penetration reaches 40-70%, at which point about a third of networks would be affected. But with current penetration below 10% and the reality that, even by that point, the increased overall demand would only be 2%-3%, an increase well within the average headroom levels of networks, there is no immediate danger posed by the adoption of EVs. The time is right However, with EVs becoming increasingly popular, and a need for planning in the long term, now is the right time to look for ways to avoid the need to reinforce. "If distribution network operators do nothing… then by 2050, there will be an economic cost to customers of at least £2.2 billion to traditionally reinforce net- works through new cables – new copper in the ground," explains Gill Nowell, a senior consultant at EA Technology, in reference to a finding from My Electric Avenue, an ongoing study of EV use by EA Technology in partnership with SSE Networks (see box, opposite). To alleviate potential stresses on net- works, most believe that the practical solu- tion is smart charging, in which an element of the control over EV charging is taken out of the hands of the owners and instead put in the hands of the networks. By reducing the rate of charge during peak electricity consumption periods, or shi–ing it outside of them entirely, the networks can ease stress on the network. Customers, meanwhile, benefit from charg- ing at cheaper times. And the benefits of this technology have already been demonstrated, in the My Elec- tric Avenue project. Funded in large part through Ofgem's LCN fund, and carried out with EA Technol- ogy, the project trialled EA's Esprit tech- nology on ten groups of ten localised EV drivers to see whether they would be willing to have charging curtailed at times of high network stress. The project was built around the Nissan Leaf vehicle, which was leased to par- ticipants for just £100 a month, and a free 3.5kV charging station. It found positive results for smart charging technology. "As long as they could wake up the next day with enough charge in their vehicle to get where they needed to go, they were happy," explains Nowell, who was a lead on the project. However, although My Electric Avenue supported the principle of smart charging, it had inherent limitations, with the pool of just a single vehicle and charging station no longer offering an accurate picture of today's EV climate. Western Power Distribution's (WPD's) Electric Nation, also conducted by EA Tech- nology, will resolve that issue by trialling the full spectrum of vehicles involved and also a variety of chargers. This, as Nowell explains, will enable a more detailed picture for the networks of the potential impact of EVs through the production of a modelling tool that will enable networks to see what levels of penetration will place undue stress on a local network. "If you imagine a sliding scale of inter- ventions, it will let them know that on this network it looks quite problematic, so X number of EVs will be acceptable but this number will be problematic and require intervention," explains Nowell. Greater understanding Such knowledge will leave DNOs better positioned to plan the action they will have to take on its various networks to account for the impact of EVs. But the results of Electric Nation will also offer a far greater understanding of just how valuable smart charging can be, and how flexible EV own- ers are willing to be. For Mark Dale, innovation and low- carbon networks engineer at WPD, under- standing that user attitude and the points at which the system is overridden to force charging will be a valuable resource to net- works. "If you need your car and you're on a demand restriction, you can override it, and the number of times people override the control will be a key piece of learning." With the positive results of My Electric Avenue, and the promise of a more com- prehensive understanding through Electric Nation, the potential for smart charging to mitigate the impact of EVs is strong. For that potential to be realised, how- ever, it is critical that through the formation of bodies such as the Office for Low Emis- sion Vehicles and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, that electricity utilities and automotive industries establish a strong col- laborative relationship. The government's recent decision – as part of the Modern Transport Bill – to enact powers that will require manufacturers of car charging systems to ensure they are ca- pable of smart charging should support the further development of such relations. However, through the process of develop- ing the detailed standard, it is critical that both parties work closely to understand the needs and objectives of the other. Developed effectively, such standards and cross-industry collaboration will ensure smart charging will shi– EV electricity demand away from peak periods. That, combined with continued developments and outcomes of innovation projects such as Electric Nation, should make network reinforcement unnecessary. N Deployment scenarios for the stock of electric cars to 2030 160 140 120 100 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 Electric cars in vehicle stock (millions) 80 60 40 20 0 IEA 2DS Paris declaration IEA 4DS IEA 2DS and IEA 4DS describe energy systems consistent with an emissions trajectory giving a 50% chance of limiting the average global temperature increase to 2 and 4°C respectively. Source: IEA analysis based on IEA (2016), UNFCCC (2015b), the EVI 2020 target and an assessment of country targets