Improving power grid transient stability by plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) can serve in discharge mode as distributed energy and power resources operating as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) devices and in charge mode as loads or grid-to-vehicle devices. It has been documented that PEVs serving as V2G systems can offer possible backup for renewable power sources, can provide reactive power support, active power regulation, load balancing, peak load shaving, can reduce utility operating costs and can generate revenue. Here we show that PEVs can even improve power grid transient stability, that is, stability when the power grid is subjected to large disturbances, including bus faults, generator and branch tripping, and sudden large load changes. A control strategy that regulates the power output of a fleet of PEVs based on the speed of generator turbines is proposed and tested on the New England 10-unit 39-bus power system. By regulating the power output of the PEVs we show that (1) speed and voltage fluctuations resulting from large disturbances can be significantly reduced up to five times, and (2) the critical clearing time can be extended by 20-40%. Overall, the PEVs control strategy makes the power grid more robust.

The Kuramoto model in complex networks

“…The suggested control method promotes grid stability for, e.g., a sufficiently large averaging interval [369]. Additional to renewable sources, plug-in electric vehicles serve as distributed energy and increase power grid transient stability [370].…”

Dynamic Pricing for Electric Vehicle Charging—A Literature Review

“…The increasing and uncoordinated electrical load due to EV charging imposes significant challenges for the stable operation of the power grid. However, at the same time, there is the opportunity to make use of the EV's batteries in order to provide grid services, which can make the power grid even more stable and safe -especially if vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology is employed [5][6][7]. V2G allows to feed energy from EVs back to the grid.…”

Focus on networks, energy and the economy

“…The role of electric vehicles in future power grids is analyzed in two contributions [21,22]. Gajduk et al [21] show that the vehicles can significantly improve the transient stability if (de-) charging is adapted to the momentary generation. They provide a quantitative estimate using network data sets, thereby highlighting the enormous potential of electric vehicles in stabilizing grid dynamics.…”