Electric Vehicle–Power System Interactions: Potential, Impacts, and Economics

Abstract: EV-grid integration (VGI) has the potential to manage the power demand from EVs and utilize EV batteries as distributed storage to support power-system balancing. Challenges remain in planning the long-term development of EV-grid integration, as the system value of VGI is often insufficiently understood in the context of coupled power-system expansion and EV growth. Recent studies have explored the impact of VGI on solar-rich power systems, where noon-time charging is predominantly promoted. However, many coastal high-growth regions are well suited to EV adoption but face land constraints on utility-scale solar and wind generation, making the role of VGI unclear. Here, we develop an integrated optimization model linking EV operating patterns with least-cost power-system expansion under VGI. We apply it to Guangdong, China’s leading province in both EV stock and electricity demand, through 2050 under different decarbonization scenarios. Our results show how VGI interacts with rooftop PV, offshore wind, and fossil-fuel-fired power plants with CCS under different decarbonization scenarios. We further evaluate the avoided system costs of unidirectional and bidirectional VGI in long-run power-system expansion.


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