Self-service calculators for sizing PVS and EV charger for home use

The paper describes the development of self-service calculators by Elenia, Finnish DSO, to assist customers in sizing photovoltaic (PV) systems and electric vehicle (EV) chargers for home use. During the energy crisis, PV-system sellers often promoted too large systems for customers without specific business cases, leading to substantial network reinforcement investment needs for Elenia. To address this, Elenia developed a self-service calculator to help customers evaluate their own business cases for PV-installations. The calculator integrates with the EU PVGIS-tool to calculate PV-production. Elenia's access to customer information and consumption data allows for accurate business case and recommendations for optimal PV-system sizes. The calculator also assesses whether network reinforcements are needed before granting connection permission. Similarly, as the PV-calculator, Elenia created self-service calculator for customers to size home charger according to customer’s charging needs. The calculator takes the customers consumption history and adds the selected charger power and timing and tells the customer if he exceeds connection size. Feedback from customers has been positive, with many appreciating Elenia's neutral role and the support to make informed decisions. The data collected from the calculator usage provides valuable insights for predictive network development. Elenia's self-service calculators demonstrate the potential for DSOs to enhance customer engagement and network planning through data-driven tools. These tools not only add value for customers but also help DSOs forecast and plan for future network developments and to support the overall energy transition.