Technical Conditions of EV Charging Stations Integration into Public Lighting Infrastructure

Abstract

Increase in the number of electric vehicles (EV) is closely related to the availability of a charging station network. Users of electric vehicles require high-quality distribution and well-covered charging network. The obstacles in electric mobility are small mobility of electric cars due to the lack of charging stations. The main objective of the paper is to encourage the growth of electric mobility through the development of electric vehicle charging stations. Integration of EV charging stations in public lighting infrastructure with proper demand side management (DSM) is a step forward to microgrid system deployment. It can contribute to microgrid stability and decrease distribution network dependence. Electric vehicles have a significant role in peak load shaving in microgrid due to its threefold role. They can be observed as demand side, supply side or storage. As a consumer or storage, they can take over energy surplus from a distributed generation or provide stored energy in key moments as flexible supply. In that way, they actively participate in the microgrid. Technical possibilities of EV charging stations integration in public lighting infrastructure are explored through this paper. Special attention is devoted to conditions and limitations of charging stations integration regarding power system grid, public lighting system and legislative framework. Paper provides fundamentals of EV charging stations and public lighting system where possibilities and limitations of integration are presented. Furthermore, the paper deals with limitations from the perspective of transformer capacity and cable cross sections which are obtained through analysis of calculated results.