A systems approach for understanding

EV charging infrastructure impact on

grid services

Gonzalo Bustos-Turu, Koen H. van Dam, Salvador Acha, Nilay Shah*

Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, UK

Content

1. Transport Electrification

2. Grid Services

3. Systems Approach: ABM

4. Case Study

5. Conclusions

2

Content

1. Transport Electrification

2. Grid Services

3. Systems Approach: ABM

4. Case Study

5. Conclusions

3

Transport Electrification: Drivers

• Transport related CO2 emissions 22%

(IEA, 2012)

• In UK, 50% from passenger cars 12% of

total UK emissions (DECC, 2013)

• 20 million Electric Vehicles (EVs) by 2020

(IEA, 2013)

4

Transport Electrification: Complexity

• New interdependencies between transport and electricity

sector System is becoming increasingly complex.

• New challenges, but also new opportunities…

• Better utilisation of resources and assets in an integrated

system

5

Transport Electrification

• Challenges:

• Diffusion policies

• Charging infrastructure

• Impacts on distribution networks

• Opportunities:

• Renewable integration

• Grid services provision 6

Opportunities: Integrated energy systems

7 Acha S., Green T., Shah N., (2010, 2011)

• New technologies can enhance infrastructures

• EV Load flexibility can support electricity system operation

Content

1. Transport Electrification

2. Grid Services

3. Systems Approach: ABM

4. Case Study

5. Conclusions

8

Grid services provision

• EV grid services will be subject to end user travel behaviour

• What is the potential for a EV fleet to provide these services?

• What are the main factors that influence this capability?

9

10

Demography

Land use

City layout

Technology

Weather

Technology

Geography

Traffic

Weather

Charging Infrastructure

Influencing factors

Outputs

Linking trip purpose to EV charging demand

Linking user decisions to EV charging demand

11

Where to go?

When to go?

How much

energy is used?

EV

Owner How to go?

Which route?

Where to charge?

When to charge?

How to charge?

How much to charge?

Activity

Travel

Energy

Charging

Content

1. Transport Electrification

2. Grid Services

3. Systems Approach: ABM

4. Case Study

5. Conclusions

12

Systems approach for analysis

13

Land use

Charging

infrastructure

EV

technology

Transport

network

Power

network

EVO

?

?

?

? How can this

be modelled?

Spatial/temporal representation

Modelling challenges

Heterogeneity Interrelated networks

Stochasticity Flexibility

Processes focus

14

Agent-based modelling (ABM)

15

ABM

Bottom-

up

Agent

Logic

Rules

Adaptive

Discrete

Events

Micro

Policy

Memory

Performance

Perception

(Gilbert, 2007)

(Schieritz & Milling, 2003)

Current state of EV analysis using ABM

16

Planning Operation

Market

Energy management

Ownership & demand

forecast

Charging & network

infrastructure

Charging strategies

Market operation

ABM-EV

EV diffusion

Bustos-Turu, G., van

Dam, K.H., Acha, S.,

Shah, N. (2013)

Research focus

17

Planning Operation

Market

Energy management

Ownership & demand

forecast

Charging & network

infrastructure

Charging strategies

Market operation

ABM-EV

EV diffusion

Content

1. Transport Electrification

2. Grid Services

3. Systems Approach: ABM

4. Case Study

5. Conclusions

18

Case Study 1: Toy City

Based on RepastCity model: https://code.google.com/p/repastcity/ 19

Goal: Determine EV load and grid services capability of 68 EVs

Case Study 1: Toy City

20

Agent behavioural rules Electricity price signals

Case Study 1: Results - Base Case Scenario

21

Aggregated state of charge Spatial load distribution

Case Study 1: Results - Upgraded charging rate

Grid services potential (G2V & V2G)

Base Case Scenario (BCS) v/s Rapid Charge Scenario (RCS)

G2V V2G 22

Case Study 1: Results - Dynamic pricing

Grid services potential (G2V & V2G)

Base Case Scenario (BCS) v/s Dynamic Pricing Scenario (DPS)

G2V V2G 23

Content

1. Transport Electrification

2. Grid Services

3. Systems Approach: ABM

4. Case Study

5. Conclusions

24

Conclusions

• Model effectively links transport and power sectors

• Rich outputs display how EV charging demand is

based on external factors and end users

behaviour

• Integrated approach highlights interdependencies

of users, technologies and infrastructures

• Future work will strengthen the model to address

planning and operational EV issues

25

Thanks

Contact details:

{gonzalo.bustos-turu12, k.van-dam, salvador.acha06,

n.shah}@imperial.ac.uk