Improving Grid Resiliency with Active Management of Electric Vehicles Charging in Low Voltage Distribution Network

With the growing concern about climate change and the rapid advancement of technology, integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into power systems, particularly within low voltage (LV) distribution networks, is becoming increasingly vital to ensure reliable and sustainable grid operation. This significant paradigm shift necessitates careful consideration of the impact of home charging on the grid, including potential issues such as power quality degradation, voltage deviation, and the overloading of distribution transformers. Under-voltages, especially at the far end of the feeder, can significantly undermine the network’s hosting capacity. An active voltage constraint management approach for EVs has been implemented to effectively manage the clustering of EVs within residential power distribution networks, aimed at enhancing the grid’s hosting capacity while accounting for realistic household electricity demand. Additionally, the substantial impact on transformer health and power losses is carefully analyzed. The results indicate that the hosting capacity of the studied network could be notably increased through the proposed EV charging demand-shifting strategy. Moreover, the negative impacts on transformer health could be significantly mitigated, leading to a 34.57% improvement in life expectancy.