Smart Solutions and Opportunities for Key Challenges in Renewables Integration and Electric Vehicles Integration to a Conventional Grid

Abstract

Internationally developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries are aiming toward energy trilemma (energy security, environmental sustainability, and energy equity). This can be made possible with the integration of renewable energy (RE) sources (mostly solar and wind). However, Reintegration with conventional grids brings with it grid stability issues, unpredictable and unbalanced supply and demand curves, reverse power flows ultimately resulting in blackouts as conventional grids are not ready to handle Reintegration. This is due to intermittent, variable, non-predictable, and location-specific generation profiles of renewables. All these challenges can be addressed using smart grid solutions integrating information and communication technology infrastructure with electricity infrastructure and adding intelligence to the combination. Smart technologies that can be readily implementable to overcome the above-addressed challenges are detailed in the paper. Some of these are demand response with customer engagement through smart meters, prosumers—encouraging customer feeding back to grid during peak demand through rooftop renewables, RE microgrids to feed a particular boundary isolated from conventional grid, smart inverters which act as storage devices and can feed AC back to grid, integrated storage using battery electric vehicles (BEVs), dynamic line rating using PMUs for real-time and enhanced loading and protection of feeders, etc. Benefits added to the utility and consumers of these technologies are discussed in detail. Electric mobility of transport is another key focus area worldwide due to depleting primary fuels and environmental (GHG) concerns. Major challenge to a distribution utility is the increased demand of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and the charging infrastructure required for EVs. Smart solutions result in new business opportunities for distribution utilities using EV charging infrastructure and also benefit the customer through offering credit for feeding back to grid during peak hours and emergency islanding conditions. This is possible through smart integration of EV with conventional grid through two-way (electrical and information) communication between a distribution utility and consumer. This paper highlights the challenges posed by the emergent requirement of EVs and smart grid solutions to overcome the hurdles of peak demand, renewable uncertainty, etc.