Enhancing electrical grid resilience through EV bidirectional charging

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This project explores bidirectional charging in a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) setting, leveraging EVs as mobile energy carriers to relieve congested distribution grids, thereby enhancing the efficiency and resilience of the energy system. The aim is to demonstrate a multi-site V2X-aware energy management system for EVs through a proof-of-concept experiment, ultimately quantifying the economic and environmental benefits of the solution and assessing its reliability in real-world scenarios. MotivationBidirectional charging is a promising technology currently being explored through Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pilot projects in Switzerland and abroad. In a V2X setting, each electric vehicle (EV) connected to a charge point functions as a stationary battery until it is unplugged. At that time, the battery must reach a certain state of charge to meet the user's needs. While connected to a charge point, the EV battery can either reduce the local site's self-consumption or pool with other assets to participate in energy markets (e.g., for ancillary services). Although the widespread adoption of EVs could greatly enhance the efficiency and resilience of the energy system, it also poses new challenges for grid operators. These challenges could be particularly severe during evening and night hours, as many EV users return home and simultaneously charge their vehicles overnight, which could critically overload the grid.Description & activitiesThis project aims to demonstrate a multi-site V2X-aware energy management system for EVs through a proof-of-concept experiment. In this concept, EVs are not modeled as an additional load but as mobile energy carriers that transport energy from one point to another in the grid via the road. Therefore, the road acts as an "additional electricity grid," relieving the congested distribution grid rather than burdening it. The effectiveness of the energy management solution has been validated through proof-of-concept experiments in unidirectional settings and simulations for the V2X setting, and the results have been published. By deploying two bidirectional chargers, one located at a workplace and the other relocated to various employees' homes with bidirectional-capable EVs, we aim to investigate and estimate the economic and environmental benefits of the solution for each stakeholder involved, suggesting a fair distribution of gains, and assess the reliability of this solution in a real-world scenario.F. Bellizio , Y. Guo, P. Heer. Optimal V2X operation of EV fleets with PV-battery charging station for demand-side flexibility provision. TechRxiv. November 28, 2023. DOI: 10.36227/techrxiv.24590955.v1

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: Enhancing electrical grid resilience through EV bidirectional charging
• Date: 7/17/2024 2:41:28 PM
• Administrators:
  • Federica Bellizio

Project Idea Description

Motivation

Bidirectional charging is a promising technology currently being explored through Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pilot projects in Switzerland and abroad. In a V2X setting, each electric vehicle (EV) connected to a charge point functions as a stationary battery until it is unplugged. At that time, the battery must reach a certain state of charge to meet the user's needs. While connected to a charge point, the EV battery can either reduce the local site's self-consumption or pool with other assets to participate in energy markets (e.g., for ancillary services). Although the widespread adoption of EVs could greatly enhance the efficiency and resilience of the energy system, it also poses new challenges for grid operators. These challenges could be particularly severe during evening and night hours, as many EV users return home and simultaneously charge their vehicles overnight, which could critically overload the grid.

Description & activities

This project aims to demonstrate a multi-site V2X-aware energy management system for EVs through a proof-of-concept experiment. In this concept, EVs are not modeled as an additional load but as mobile energy carriers that transport energy from one point to another in the grid via the road. Therefore, the road acts as an "additional electricity grid," relieving the congested distribution grid rather than burdening it. The effectiveness of the energy management solution has been validated through proof-of-concept experiments in unidirectional settings and simulations for the V2X setting, and the results have been published. By deploying two bidirectional chargers, one located at a workplace and the other relocated to various employees' homes with bidirectional-capable EVs, we aim to investigate and estimate the economic and environmental benefits of the solution for each stakeholder involved, suggesting a fair distribution of gains, and assess the reliability of this solution in a real-world scenario.

F. Bellizio , Y. Guo, P. Heer. Optimal V2X operation of EV fleets with PV-battery charging station for demand-side flexibility provision. TechRxiv. November 28, 2023. DOI: 10.36227/techrxiv.24590955.v1

This project explores bidirectional charging in a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) setting, leveraging EVs as mobile energy carriers to relieve congested distribution grids, thereby enhancing the efficiency and resilience of the energy system. The aim is to demonstrate a multi-site V2X-aware energy management system for EVs through a proof-of-concept experiment, ultimately quantifying the economic and environmental benefits of the solution and assessing its reliability in real-world scenarios.