No abstract

The increasing amount of decentralized and fluctuating power generation and an increasing number of electric vehicles, heat pumps and other new consumption appliances pose major challenges to distribution system operators. However, this also offers new opportunities for improved usage of distribution grid assets. Instead of extending grid assets in the conventional way (e.g. with additional and/or higher capacity of cables and transformers), the supply to consumers may be better achieved by exploiting the flexibility of appropriate devices using ICT. This approach is the objective of a "Smart Operator", which is conceptually presented in this paper.

The Grid 4 Vehicles project (G4V) has analyzed the effects of a mass integration of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EV and PHEV) into some distribution grids in Europe. A consortium consisting of six European research institutions and six European utilities has developed a methodology to investigate the effects of EV and PHEV in distribution grids and has proposed different options for intelligent and "grid-friendly" EV charging. This paper introduces the algorithms used for grid calculation, describes intelligent charging methodologies and demonstrates the most significant results of these calculations.

Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (EV, PHEV) have the potential to contribute significantly to solving contemporary and future environmental and economic challenges of mobility. Different EU member states are currently addressing the subject in an isolated manner. The G4V consortium consisting of major European electric utilities and distinguished academic institutions are now adopting a holistic European approach to analyze the impact of a mass introduction in detail in order to optimize the grid infrastructure and make use of the inherent opportunities this represents for the operation of smart grids and energy efficiency. This paper will present a new probabilistic approach that was used to calculate the effects of electric vehicles on a large basis of European distribution grids. Simulation results will confirm the necessity of the chosen approach.

The smart grid concept introduces improved possibilities for coordinated distribution grid management in order to increase the receptivity for Renewable Energy Sources while simultaneously guaranteeing a safe and reliable grid operation. This paper presents a smart grid control strategy for real-time low voltage (LV) grid management applications based on an online-learning algorithm. It enables for the derivation of a schedule-forecast for installed assets. Next to coordinated voltage and line utilization control the approach optimally exploits the potential benefits of innovative grid assets for grid operation. The performance of the algorithm is demonstrated by a simulation study using a typical LV grid.