As part of PowerLab.dk is a set of assets which is meant to contribute to the field of Electric Vehicle (EV) integration.
The aim of EV integration is to encourage a synergetic relationship between the EV and the power system to which it will connect, investigate key EV components and communication technologies and finally to explore the value and services that the EV can offer that goes beyond its function as a means of transportation.
The latter can, for instance, be the minimization of charging costs, adherence to distribution grid con-straints or adjustment of charging patterns to renewable energy production.
This will benefit the power system, the EV owner and society as a whole.
In the figure above, an electric vehicle's charging and discharging behavior is controlled in order to balance the grid.
Main EV integration studies within PowerLab.dk
The following studies are currently being carried out within PowerLab.dk:
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Battery technology
The battery is the most valuable component of an EV. It is valuable both in terms of the monetary upfront cost and in the context of the opportunities it offers in relation to the power grid. The focuses of this study are on the charging and discharging efficiency, ther-mal degradation and optimal usage relating to battery lifetime.
These studies require comprehensive battery models as well as physical experimental fa-cilities for real life testing.
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Smart EV utilization concepts and markets
'Utilization concepts' covers the various value-adding services that the electric vehicle can offer to external stakeholders. These can roughly be divided into the following:
• Smart charging - Where the charging of an EV battery is delayed or advanced in time based on energy costs, grid constraints or renewable contents (e.g. wind-power).
• Energy backup - Where the EV stores energy that is delivered back to the power grid or household at some later point in time.
• Ancillary services – Where the EV, as a fast response resource, reacts with charging and discharging operations to meet the balancing needs of the power system.
• Distribution grid services - Where the EV will reduce its charging power at certain periods in time to respect the capacity constraints of the distribution grid.
To test the above concepts a series of prediction and optimization methods needs to be implemented. Also, the integration into existing and future power markets must be ex-plored.
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Grid impact
The investigation on how the added load of future EV fleets will influence the power system in terms of grid congestion. The degree of grid congestion is dependent on a number of factors including local grid topology, penetration- and distribution of EVs as well as charg-ing management procedures. The main goal is the prevention of equipment overloading and the assessment of the need for grid reinforcement. The study uses virtual EV fleets and simulated grid models with household and EV load profiles, in order to test different scenarios based on the existing grid topology.
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EV Communication
This study investigates the technologies, protocols and standards that will connect the EV to the charging infrastructure and other external entities. The type and formatting of data is investigated as well as all protocols spanning the OSI stack that will carry it over the net-works.
This study include proof-of-concept implementation in will be linked to the ongoing EV communication standardization process. Part of this study is also the cyber security that needs to be implemented to secure confidentiality, integrity and availability in EV communi-cation.
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Control design
By ‘control design’ is meant the mechanism used to influence the EV’s behaviour and inter-face it with power system and market. Two main such designs are investigated
• Centralized control - In which a single entity (a fleet operator) directly controls the behaviour of a group of electric vehicles.
• Distributed control - In which the EV behaves as an autonomous and intelligent agent. The use of price signals falls into this category.
Developed software systems are used to test the various designs.
EV integration assets related to PowerLab.dk
The following assets are presently part of PowerLab.dk to help facilitate the above studies.
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EV integration assets related to PowerLab.dk
The following assets are presently part of PowerLab.dk to help facilitate the above studies:
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Table-To-Grid (T2G) - EV Battery Test Bed
A test bed has been implemented to reproduce the realistic charging or discharging behavior of an EV. A 15 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, composed of 110 series-connected lithium-ion cells is monitored by a battery management system. The EV test bed can either charge or enter the Vehicle-to-Grid mode, using a flexible communication and control architecture, using contemporary communication standards. During test the EV battery can be remotely controlled based on different control scenarios.
In addition to the above, the test bed is designed as a multipurpose platform where tests on individual cells are used for electrical and thermal characterization studies.
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The eBox
This electric vehicle prototype is the first of its kind in Europe. It comes with a large Battery Pack (35 kWh / Up to 240 km), support of bi-directional charging (Vehicle-To-Grid) and a set of advanced computers combined with modern communication protocols and standards.
The above qualities make the eBox a suitable platform for testing many different utilization concepts! |
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Charging Infrastructure
A parking lot outside Center For Electric Technology (CET) has been made to support six charging spots, each with a 32 Amp 3-phase power connection and Ethernet cables for internet communication. The goal is to support a series of different charging spots from different vendors using different types of equipment. This asset is suitable for the test of roaming and interoperability.
Also available in the PowerLab.dk environment is a general CEE 63 Amp 3-phase power connection supporting V2G (up to 44kW)
In addition a special EV connection for up to 150kW – ready for fast charging - can be established. Local systems with high penetration of renewable and intelligent loads, such as EV’s, can be tested in an isolated grid within powerlab.dk.
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Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) / Charging spot
PowerLab.dk has its own custom charging spot that will implement a series of measuring and computing units that will grant outside control of the charging process. This asset can be used for communication and standardization studies. |
Associated research staff
- Esben Larsen, Associate professor, DTU Elektro, CET
- Anders Bro Pedersen, PhD student, DTU Elektro, CET
- Francesco Marra, PhD student, DTU Elektro, CET
- Dario Sacchetti, Research assistant, DTU Elektro, CET
- Contact: Peter Bach Andersen, PhD student, DTU Elektro, CET
Associated projects:
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The EDISON Project
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Ecogrid EU
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