In the near future, electric vehicles will undoubtedly replace fossil fuel vehicles. Among all the questions and explanations, considering electric vehicles and the rapid development of them, the most important is how can massive usage of electric vehicles affect the distribution network, which is not much discussed, but without answering this question it will not be possible to continue the development of electromobility. The consequences of an incorrect analysis of such a problem may have a catastrophic effect – we are talking about the collapse of the network. Existing energy networks have been operating efficiently and reliably for about a hundred years, and we want it to remain so. That is why we are faced with an analysis that includes new trends and new challenges in this area. We are reffering to electric cars that bring an increase in energy consumption, not just an increase in peak power but also a new peak load (especially at night due to cheaper energy). These are included in the already existing issues, such as environmental issues, dispersed production, spatial constraints and space placement problems, and currently also very problematic – older, aging infrastructure.
There is no need for any careful analysis in order to find out that the electricity system (at least low voltage) is not prepared for such a leap in electricity consumption caused by electromobility, as we know that distribution companies are already facing overload networks and transformers with little power in the modern energy system. As we will see, the announcement that the current power system with the existing concepts of planning is not ready to effectively integrate new consumers or elements, is not incorrect. We believe that distribution companies will have to pay a lot of attention to this problem, because the development of electromobility, especially in recent years, is extremely high. This could mean that unwillingness to new trends leads to a collapse of the network; fortunately, such trends do not develop overnight, which means that the power system can be slowly and gradually upgraded – it could be said to be a kind of financial relief. If this does not happen, the situation would lead to excessive financial burdens and a slower development in the field of energy in Slovenia. These negative scenarios can be avoided by a good organization and a good programme. The entire plan of upgrading the present concept of operation and system design is written in the programme of smart grid development in Slovenia, where it effectively, as a whole, integrates new elements, such as consumers with the ability to adjust consumption, electric cars, power savers, etc.
|
