In-depth low voltage network modelling and monitoring will help grid operators identify the best locations to install new electric vehicle charge points without overwhelming the energy supply
The addition of thousands of new EV charge points across the UK will present capacity issues to owners and operators of the country’s electricity grid, according to Dave A Roberts, CTO of VisNet from EA Technology, a low voltage energy network monitoring and management specialist. Distribution network operators can address this with precise modelling and monitoring of low voltage distribution networks. In so doing, they can support the Government’s efforts to grow the EV market and encourage user uptake over the next few years as part of the wider push for net zero.
“The UK’s low voltage distribution networks will underpin the EV transition,” says Roberts, “Electricity operators can play their part with more granular, in-depth modelling and monitoring of their networks to accurately identify where there is capacity on the network to install the thousands of new charge points that are needed.”
Roberts explains, “We know from real world trials and monitoring data that a single electric vehicle uses approximately the same amount of energy in a year as a house. Currently, there are 34 million cars on the UK’s roads compared to the UK’s 25 million or so houses. If every car goes electric over the next decade, that’s the equivalent of doubling the UK’s housing stock. Operators are looking to ensure they have available capacity where it’s needed in their distribution networks to meet the demand for charge points that the increase in electric vehicles will create.”
Roberts’ comments follow the publication last month of a report by the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee” (PAC), which warned that the rollout of EV charging points across the UK is currently uneven and risks overlooking parts of the country such as rural areas. The PAC report said that the government was on track to reach its stated target of 300,000 charging points by 2030, but that rollout was “patchy” and there were stark regional divides in numbers and availability – including too few installed outside London and south-east England.
According to the latest data from the Department for Transport, more than 75,000 public electric vehicle (EV) charging points are reportedly now in operation across the UK, with two new points installed every hour. The number of public charging points sits alongside approximately 850,000 domestic charging points in the UK.
Roberts continued, “With more accurate modelling and monitoring, operators can maximise their existing distribution infrastructure to support more EV charge points and avoid disruption. Operators can use accurate usage data to properly plan their network upgrade plans and the related costs over a manageable time period.
“Better data also allows operators to accurately identify congestion, or ‘pinch points’, in the supply of energy to users. Importantly, they can identify not only the location, but also at what time during the day the congestion occurs.”
Ian Cooper, Head of Product and Strategic Sales for VisNet Modelling, explained in more detail the significance of location combined with availability of capacity. “The challenge for distribution network operators is to identify where to install charge points to best suit demand for EV charging and also that match with the capacity available on their network as well.
“At this early stage in EV rollout, when it comes to installing charging infrastructure, time is of the essence. The UK is going to need tens of thousands of charge points over the next decade, and operators can jump-start this process by putting in charge points firstly in locations where there is capacity on the distribution network. To do so depends on having granular, local, accurate visibility of the capacity available, which can vary even from street to street.
“Here at VisNet, the capacity maps produced by our network-based modelling and monitoring solutions enable grid operators to ‘see’ precisely where they can install charge points at a local street level.”
Cooper concluded, “By focusing on these locations initially, they can help meet the UK’s growing demand for EV charge points in an efficient and cost-effective way, which minimises disruption so that roads are not dug up and new cabling not installed until absolutely necessary.”
