There is a growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) instead of cars with traditional internal combustion engines, however, challenges arise with electric vehicles and the grid with their ability for battery storage shifting the electricity demand on the grid. . EVs include hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV). The uphill trend for EVs is a significant step in reducing our fossil fuel use.
The recently published ICF Grid Readiness Report commissioned by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) identified the best practices for the leading Canadian utility companies and system operators to follow in preparing the power grid for electric vehicle charging. Here is a short review of the recommended best practices for the Transmission and Distribution Systems in implementing charging stations.
NRCan-Recommended Wholesale/Transmission Best Practices
- Forecasting EV Demand. Improving the ability to forecast annual and peak-coincident electric power demand for EV charging loads.
- TOU Rates. Exploring and piloting TOU rates.
- EV Adoption. Developing better visibility into local EV adoption, including the number, types, and location of EV adoption on a utility’s distribution network.
- EV Load Profiles. Looking for better data to refine EV charging load profiles.
- Interoperability. Maintaining interoperability between both the wholesale and distribution sides of the transformer substation.
NRCan-Recommended Distribution Best Practices
- EV Charging & Grid Upgrades. Studying EV charging management solutions helps utility commissions understand when penetration levels necessitate grid upgrades.
- EV-Enabled Changes. Beyond EV charging, associated changes will include more sophisticated EV charging management, bidirectional charging and vehicle to home/building (V2B /vehicle to grid (V2G).
- Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). Bolstering the business case for full-scale AMI deployments.
- Electrify Everything. Pursuing broad, comprehensive and beneficial electrification customer programs.
- EV Load Impact. Adopting or developing methods to assess EV charging load impact.
- Design & Development. Reviewing design standards for new development and replacing burnout of distribution assets.
- New Standard Design Rules. Finally, the study suggests that “utilities should undertake a thorough review of their distribution system design practices and possibly change the standard design rules in preparation for a higher load per customer due to EV charging.”
The growing adoption of electric cars is vital to decarbonizing energy. The Awesense Digital Energy Platform enables the communion of electric vehicles and the grid feasible according to the recommended best practices. The comprehensive data ingestion and modelling capabilities of the Energy Data Model (EDM) make it ideal for tackling modern utility problems, including the immense challenge of getting the grid ready for the wave of EVs coming down the pike. Our next blog, 5 Grid Transmission Best Practices with EV Adoption demonstrates the alignment necessary to make these best practices a reality.
Blogs in this series:
- 5 Grid Transmission Best Practices with EV Adoption
- 7 Ways The Awesense Platform Prepares The Distribution Grid for EVs
Interested in finding out more about The Digital Energy Platform? You can contact us via our website or directly at sales@awesense.com.
