Increasing wind energy targets with the integration of electric vehicles: An application to the Portuguese case

Abstract

In the recent past, due to political and environment concerns, a great evolution has been verified in terms of renewable energy production and a significant growth is expected in the near future, especially in the wind power. However, the variability of the renewable sources, such as wind power, introduce some new challenges to the power system operators, namely the balance between power generation and demand. The integration of Plug-in electric vehicles in the transportation sector has great potential to reduce oil dependence and GHG emissions, as well as contribute to integrate the wind power into the grid. This paper intends to study for the 2020 Portuguese power grid, the relationship between the EV penetration levels and the allowable installed wind power, for a specific curtailment threshold. To achieve that, a methodology based on a hydrothermal coordination, unit commitment and economic dispatch is applied to the Portuguese power system, for the entire year of operation. Simulations are performed in an hourly basis for different EV penetration levels under a specific night charge scenario. Results show that the admissible installed wind capacity vary between 6.1 GW and 11.4 GW for an EV penetration ranging from 0 % to 100 % of the light vehicle fleet, following an almost linear relationship.