How do networks develop? Largely, by incremental growth, driven by an expanding population, new businesses, energy efficiency developments, and so on. Lines companies are closely focused on the latter – in particular, on capacity when the network experiences its highest use, during the morning and early evening peaks, when people arrive home, flick on the heating and start cooking dinner and bathing children. Distribution networks are not built on how much energy goes through them over time (i.e, the volume), but rather on the basis of capacity – the peak power that has to be delivered at any moment. When we talk about the distribution network, we are talking about the lines that delivers power from the transmission exit point (the large substations built by Transpower) through to a customer’s meter board – so poles and wires, transformers, sub-stations and all the other associated infrastructure. But electric vehicles could completely change the mix in potentially a much shorter timeframe. They have mainly been built to deliver what we think will be needed in 10, 15, 20 years time. “Networks are not designed with excessve headroom because that would be uneconomical for consumers. “And if you’ve got a 32 amp power plug or a fast-charger in your garage, you could effectively double or triple your peak energy usage,” says Pellicer. In comparison, an EV charger might draw as much as seven kilowatts, or potentially even more. “Electric vehicles have the potential to significantly increase a residential consumer’s peak,” says Eric Pellicer of Powerco, a New Plymouth-based utility that supplies electricity and gas to more than 430,000 homes and business in the North Island.Ī hot water cylinder, which is one of the largest loads in most kiwi homes, draws two to three kilowatts at peak, he notes. What’s more, there’s no risk of the country running short of power, even in the most extreme scenarios involving rapid EV uptake.īut, for some, there is a genuine concern about how the uptake of EVs might stress the energy networks that delivers power into our homes. “If I earn some more revenue because people are using my network more, provided the issues are smaller, then I’m winning.” “The big advantage is that every time you plug your EV in, we’re earning money,” says Northpower Network Engineering Manager Russell Watson. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s 29 lines companies get to run more power into the country’s households, and the 20-odd electricity retailers in the market get to sell more electrons. For the consumer, transitioning to an electric vehicle means handsome savings on their weekly ‘fuel’ bill. Let’s be clear, this dawning electric age is a good thing for all concerned, not least the environment. While public DC fast-charging stations are being rolled out around the country, it’s anticipated that the vast bulk of charging will be “low and slow” and done at home, using a wall socket in the garage or a dedicated EV charging unit. The government’s Electric Vehicle Programme, announced in May 2016, sets a target of doubling the number of EVs on our roads every year, to reach 64,000 by 2021 – or two per cent of the national fleet. What exactly is the challenge to the grid posed by rising EV uptake? Where are the potential pinch points? And what are the solutions? “Will electric cars break the grid?” was the headline of one recent article in an overseas journal, and while it may overstate the concern, New Zealand electricity providers need to get to grips with the issue.
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