As electric vehicles grow in popularity, the electricity grid that powers them will need to fundamentally change to cope with the new demands placed upon it.  New research from the University of Cologne suggests that a new, more adaptive pricing structure will be required to ensure grid stability.

The pricing scheme suggested by the authors is based on a combination of real-world data and mathematic modelling, with the method allowing for adaptations to be made in response to market conditions and consumer behavior.

This market is necessary because the increasing number of electric vehicles is likely to create significant challenges to the grid to ensure a stable environment for its other users.  This stability would allow for the balance between production and consumption to remain consistent.  It’s important because if the balance changes, electric devices and generators can be damaged.

“A transition to electric vehicles is widely assumed to be an important step along the road to environmental sustainability, however, large scale adoption of electric vehicles may put electricity grids under critical strain, since peaks in electricity demand are likely to increase radically,” the researchers say.

Grid stability

The researchers believe that grid operators and energy providers can use such adaptive pricing to influence the demand for electric vehicle charging, and therefore reduce any risk of instability.

The process would involve grid operators broadcasting prices to the electric vehicle population in a bid to generate a desired demand profile for electricity.  These price signals would hopefully influence the demand for charging.

In initial simulations, the researchers were able to yield robust results, even when owners deviated from the responses predicted by the researchers.  As such, they believe it could provide strong improvements compared to existing pricing schemes.

“The pricing scheme will distribute part of peak demand by making it more cost-effective to charge their car in non-peak times. This will distribute demand in order to alleviate the grid infrastructure and ensure reliable operation,” the researchers conclude.