The current electricity network is expected to be struggling in the future to absorb the large amounts of renewable energy and the peak usage by electric cars. How can you better coordinate and regulate the production of, and demand for, renewable energy? And how can new technologies, such as ICT, be used to manage the power grid in a smarter way and still provide the energy demanded?
These questions are answered in the project Smart Grid in Balance. Smart Grid in Balance achieves a link between the supply of decentralised renewable energy sources and the demand for renewable energy of electric transport. This could prevent costs for grid reinforcement and the balancing of the electricity network. A profitable base is created by realising cost reductions on the one hand, and on the other to put products and services in the market that generate profit. One of the products is an Energy Information System for drivers of electric vehicles (EVs), that indicates which renewable energy source is used to charge the battery of the EV.
For the electricity production, solar panels, wind farms and the bio-digester from ACRRES in Lelystad are used. Also, charging stations have been installed in Lelystad. Approximately 15 households and five businesses also participate as a prosumer in the test environment. Approximately 20 EVs and a smart charging infrastructure are deployed on the user side. Direction by demand is applied. The balancing takes place in the Smart Grid Balance System (SGBS). The existing Charge Service and Operations Platform (CSOP) is expanded to inform the EV driver via Web and App on the type of renewable energy that the EV is charging, as well as consumption, cost, state of charge of the battery and the CO2 savings.
In addition to the development of products and services, research is being done amongst prosumers and drivers, with the emphasis on the consequences for the behavior of the increased understanding of the applied energy source and thus correspondingly increased influence on the choice of the energy source.
The participating partners are: EV services and infrastructure provider Green Flux, grid operator Enexis, carmaker Renault, ACRRES, Wageningen University & Research, charge point supplier Alfen, the Oranjewoud and Accenture consultancy firms, telematics company Sycada Green and IT automation. The project runs until the end of 2016.
For more information call Andrea Terbijhe, tel.: 0320-391532 or email: andrea.terbijhe@wur.nl
