On June 14th, during the EVS36 in Sacramento (Ca), Frank Geerst and Marisca Zweistra presented two papers on Smart Charging and the Gridshield project. These papers are now published and available for download below.
Smart charging will enable demand-based management and temporary storage, via millions of electric vehicles. It will make the energy system more flexible, and as such is indispensable for the transitions in mobility and energy in the Netherlands. It will deliver huge advantages for society, EV drivers and providers of charging services. The National Charging Infrastructure Agenda (NAL) sees smart charging as a must have. However, the scaling up of the application of smart charging is taking place more slowly than socially desirable. Against that background, the NAL has elaborated a national programme entitled Smart charging for all 2022-2025 (SLVI2025) with the aim of accelerating the scaling-up process, in collaboration with all stakeholders from the charging chain. This action plan describes the hows, whys and wherefores of this programme.
With the increasing adoption rate of electric vehicles, power peaks caused by many cars charging simultaneously in the same low-voltage grid can cause local overloading and power outages. Smart charging solutions should spread this load, but a residual risk of incidental peaks will always remain. A decentralized and autonomous technology called GridShield is therefore being developed to reduce the likelihood of a transformer’s fuse blowing in the case of unforeseen or unsuccessfully managed peaks in the grid load. The GridShield functionality acts as a measure of last resort in the energy management system by temporarily limiting the virtual charging capacity of charging stations. It enables optimal use of available grid capacity, while ensuring reliable operation of the grid.