Methodology for identifying technical details of smart energy solutions and research gaps in smart grid: an example of electric vehicles in the energy system

Yves Demazeau,Zheng Ma,Kristoffer Christensen,Bo Nørregaard Jørgensen

doi:10.1186/s42162-021-00160-w

Abstract

Simulations, especially agent-based simulation, are able to facilitate the investigation of smart energy solutions and business models, and their impacts on the energy system and involved stakeholders. Technical details, alternatives, and multiple options for what-if scenarios influence simulation quality, but no methodology available to support the investigation. This paper proposes a method for identifying technical details of smart energy solutions in the energy system and identifying research gaps in the smart grid context with EV solutions as an example. The method includes the investigation of the state-of-the-art EV solutions by scoping review and the allocation of the scoping review results into the Smart Grid Architecture Model framework with three dimensions (Domains, Zones, and interoperability layers). The quantitative scoping review results in a total number of 240 references and 10 references match the criteria based on the qualitative scoping review. The results show that the most popular EV use case within the targeted scope is the V2G concept, and 6 out of the 10 references discuss the EVs’ potentials to work as energy storage. Seventeen features are identified by mapping the EV use cases (solutions and business models) into the three dimensions (domain, zone, and interoperability layers) of the SGAM framework. The process at the Zone layer is the most popularly covered (mentioned 64 times), and enterprise at the Zone layer and communication in the interoperability layer are the least covered (mentioned 4 times each).

Highlights

The increasing number of renewable energy sources in the energy system can contribute significantly to reduce the impacts caused by climate change
The results show that the most popular Electric Vehicle (EV) use case within the targeted scope is the V2G concept, and 6 out of the 10 references discuss the EVs’ potentials to work as energy storage (Li et al 2012; McGee et al n.d.; Nicanfar et al 2013; Ahmad and Sivasubramani 2015; Santos et al 2015; Rezania and Prüggler 2012)
This paper presents a methodology for identifying technical details of EV solutions in the energy system and identifying research gaps in the smart grid context

Summary

Introduction

The increasing number of renewable energy sources in the energy system can contribute significantly to reduce the impacts caused by climate change. It will create the challenge of grid imbalance, and demand response is a promising solution (Ma et al 2017a). Electric Vehicles (EVs) are expected to play an important role in balancing the integration of renewable energy resources in the Smart Grid. EV smart charging has been well discussed together with flexible electricity prices as a means to provide demand response (Fatras et al 2021). In a Smart Grid with two-way power- and communication-flow between consumers and the grid it is possible to enable Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), i.e. allowing EVs to provide power to the grid from their battery (Fatras et al 2020). Hourly electricity prices (Ma and Jørgensen 2018) and dynamic tariffs (Ma et al 2021) provide significant financial benefits for EVs to provide implicit demand response, and the unbundling electricity markets (e.g., the Nordic spot markets (Zheng et al 2016)) provides more opportunities for the explicit demand response (Ma et al 2017b)

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Discussion

Conclusion