Network Integration and Renewable Energies
Switching to electric mobility will challenge the electric grid, but also holds great potential, especially for increasing the amount of renewables in the energy mix. Ensuring that the additional energy demand for eletric vehicles is covered by renewable energy sources is essential to make this switch truly sustainable. With coordinated charging that adjusts for the real-time production of renewable power, intelligent storage can help smooth out the peaks and valleys of power production and support the integration of renewably sourced electricity.
The limits of the electricity network
Because the electric grid cannot store energy, the amount generated must equal the amount consumed at all times to avoid power outages, blinking lights, etc. But as the availability of renewable energy sources like wind or solar energy is weather-dependent and unpredictable, electric grids are facing new challenges:
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If more energy is generated by renewables (wind or solar), conventional power plants are idled or even shut down. This is very expensive and creates stress on the equipment.
- But is less energy is generated by renewables than was predicted, expensive peak-power plants must be put online.
These infrastructure services are expensive, but increasingly necessary in the face of the legally mandated increase in renewable power generators. Also, the increase of renewables in the overall energy mix calls for grid improvements to counterbalance the fluctuating production.
One solution is to store electricity: whenever the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, storage units can be charged, avoiding system stress for the conventional network. When renewable power generation drops, these storage units stop charging and can even give energy back to the network.
Electric vehicles as smart storage units
In the face of current challenges to the grid, EV batteries are valuable storage capacities. New system services can optimize charging processes and purposefully integrate EVs into the grid: By communicating individually with each vehicle, charging can be coordinated according to energy supply and demand in the grid. Vehicles can even re-enter energy into the grid in times of low supply. Integrating a large number of vehicles into a smart energy network can thus increase efficiency in conventional power operations, because their operation does not have to follow fluctuating patterns of energy generation from renewable sources. This so-called Vehicle to Grid (V2G) concept is one of the core future competencies of electric mobility, and an important factor in the German government’s national development plan for electric mobility and ubitricity’s services.
In order to enable smart communication of the grid and electric vehicles, a dense network of charging points with frequent options to connect the car to the grid must be available. This ensures that parking time of vehicles is employed efficiently. A comprehensive roll-out of an affordable infrastructure solution thus is key to realize the advantages of the Vehicle to Grid strategy.
