Reducing the impact of dynamic wireless charging of electric vehicles on the grid through renewable power integration

Abstract

Electrification of roadways using dynamic wireless charging (DWC) technology can provide an effective solution to range anxiety, high battery costs and long charging times of electric vehicles (EVs). With DWC systems installed on roadways, they constitute a charging infrastructure or electrified roads (eRoads) that have many advantages. For instance, the large battery size of heavy-duty EVs can significantly be downsized due to charging-while-driving. However, a high power demand of the DWC system, especially during traffic rush periods, could lead to voltage instability in the grid and undesirable power demand curves. In this paper, a model for the power demand is developed to predict the DWC system's power demand at various levels of EV penetration rate. The DWC power demand profile in the chosen 550 ​km section of a major highway in Canada is simulated. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are integrated with the DWC, and the integrated system is optimized to mitigate the peak power demand on the electrical grid. With solar panels of 55,000 ​kW rated capacity installed along roadsides in the study region, the peak power demand on the electrical grid is reduced from 167.5 to 136.1 ​MW or by 18.7 ​% at an EV penetration rate of 30 ​% under monthly average daily solar radiation in July. It is evidenced that solar PV power has effectively smoothed the peak power demand on the grid. Moreover, the locally generated renewable power could help ease off expensive grid upgrades and expansions for the eRoad. Also, the economic feasibility of the solar PV integrated DWC system is assessed using cost analysis metrics.