Hosting Capacity for EV Charging in Distribution Networks

This study evaluates the impact of electric vehicle (EV) loads on the hosting capacity of a feeder in the rural area of Konya, Turkiye. An 8760-hour actual demand data collected from more than 18 smart meters is used to simulate various scenarios where EV charging stations are randomly connected to selected buses within the feeder. The primary objective is to determine the feeder's hosting capacity by assessing the influence of the additional loads on voltage levels and power flows. Findings show that increasing EV loads causes challenges in voltage stability, with potential exceedances of operational limits at particular nodes. The study introduces two specific terms to quantify the effects on hosting capacity. Warning Load Threshold (WLT) addresses the probability, and Critical Load Threshold (CLT) addresses the certainty of the impacts. The results indicate that infrastructure investments should be planned by considering voltage levels getting close to the minimum operational limits. Although the results show no immediate need for investment in the rural areas of the case study, such planning is essential for future needs.