Within the scope of this demo case, OEDAS aims to manage the charging and discharging process of the vehicle-to-grid compatible vehicle in order to balance the load of the local transformer. Use cases such as peak shaving and load shifting will also be put into practice. More specifically, OEDAS is formulating a tool that allows the end-users to connect their electric vehicle to the grid, whilst charging.
Connecting the car to the flexibility market
By using a mobile application, the end-user inserts its charging preferences before connecting the vehicle. That includes the timeframe of the charging session and the desired level of charge at the estimated end-time. In case there is a congestion issue in the grid the user receives a notification from the DSO asking the user to participate in the flexibility market. By participating the user earns additional incentives and rewards, such as financial. During the allocated charging session, the vehicle will automatically charge and discharge itself to balance the load of the transformer, which is managed with smart charging algorithms on the electrical vehicle management platform.
“Whilst the vehicle is discharged, energy will be sent from the vehicle back to the grid, which allows the end-user to make earnings. The end-user’s opportunity to make earnings will fluctuate according to the demand for electricity. Accordingly, during peak hours the electricity price will be the highest, hence it allows for higher earnings, whilst during off-peak hours the price will be lower, following the lower demand. However notably, regardless of time, the gain will always be created, which will result in a cheaper charging session for the user”, says Ibrahim Gazioglu, from OEDAS.
Demonstrations starting in March 2022
Currently, the vehicle-to-grid technology is being tested at OEDAS´s demo site located in Turkey. Apart from that, the pilot site will include one V1G DC charger and a battery storage system. These flexible systems will also be managed with the same management tool to provide flexibility in the local grid. Thus far, the hardware installation of the electric vehicle chargers and storage systems are completed which allows for testing. However, there are still parts of the demo case that are in the development phase. That includes the system integration and the development of the mobile application, along with running dynamic pricing scenarios. Nonetheless, OEDAS aims to be ready for demonstration activities during February and March 2022.
Sooner or later, the aim of the project is to put up scenarios for public use. Simultaneously, as the number of electric vehicles is increasing, vehicle-to-grid technology becomes progressively applicable in several parts of the world. At the same time, the urgency to find sustainable ways to ease the peak hour demand and congestion issues in the electrical grid becomes far more critical.