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Partners:

On Wednesday 21 November 2024, C4NET hosted their third Enhanced System Planning (ESP) project webinar, looking at the uptake of electric vehicles and the implications for Australia’s energy grid and planning processes.  

The webinar was designed to spark conversation and share valuable insights on the adoption and outlook for EV’s, the bidirectional role EV’s can play in Australia’s grid and how consumers can take control of their energy usage through vehicle to grid (V2G) technology.  

Panelists included Ross De Rango from the Electric Vehicle Council, Sayani Gupta from AEMO, Ana Erceg from AusNet Services, and Jon Sibley from enX.

C4NET CEO James Seymour opened the discussions by providing context into this once in a lifetime infrastructure shift, as Australians move from internal combustion engines (ICE) to electric vehicles (EV). While the shift is inevitable and already occurring at a rapid pace, James emphasised that there are many unknowns for the future of electric vehicles, including EV uptake rates, consumer preferences and how EV’s can effectively integrate with the grid.  

To that end, James reiterated that the role of forecasting and whole-of-system planning has never been more vital. The ESP project uses current data and CER trends in order to understand the impact of electrification on distribution systems.  

Key themes from panelist discussions are summarised below:    

Ensuring consumers maintain control of their energy use 

  • The importance of understanding consumer behaviour was emphasised as a means of better managing Australia’s energy system.  
  • Discussion highlighted the need for consumers to access signals that encourage charging at times that are beneficial to the grid, but which also benefit them, through pricing incentives or orchestration. EV-customer-centric retail pricing structures are starting to emerge. An EV charging guide and retail pricing structures are available on the EV Council website. 
  • Ensuring equal access to reliable electricity supply between regional and urban customers to support the uptake of EVs, is an important area of focus necessary to avoid disproportionate impacts on regional customers.  

Looking to the future: the role of EV’s and the potential of V2G  

  • Considering that there could be 21 million electric vehicles across Australia by 2050, the role EV’s could play in Australia’s energy system was discussed, including consideration of how their impact on overall energy consumption will largely depend on how and when EV’s are charged.  
  • The potential of V2G technology to provide significant grid support and play a unique role in Australia’s energy transition was highlighted. Consumers will collectively own the biggest storage asset. How they connect and engage with the grid will depend on how favourable the terms are for them to do so. 
  • By 2030, even a small percentage of EV’s using V2G could provide up to a gigawatt of dispatchable capacity, and this is expected to grow substantially from 2030.  

Ensuring network stability as more EV’s are plugged in   

  • Assessing and mitigating the impact of EV charging on the grid will be vital. This includes understanding and anticipating charging behaviours, addressing hosting capacity constraints, and improving visibility of EV usage profiles.  
  • To ensure smart grid integration there is a role for networks to introduce flexible export limits during evening peaks, and shift towards dynamic network tariffs that fully value the services bidirectional chargers can provide when the grid needs it.  

The challenges ahead: infrastructure and data limitations  

  • The challenges of integrating EV’s into the grid due to infrastructure performance and limited data on consumers with EV’s was discussed. While DNSPs are investing effort into understanding EVs, more visibility of where they are located and more data analytics is essential to their efforts. 
  • Future proofing network technical capabilities will be important with a need to align to the changes EV will bring, noting these need to consider both maximum and minimum demand days. Importantly, network planning should avoid underestimating EV demand, which has been an issue in other countries, and consider supply chain constraints which can also impact forecasts. 

National policy and industry standards  

  • The importance of national policy and industry standards to increase the adoption of EV’s and V2G technology was highlighted, with a focus on making it easier for consumers through initiatives such as product refinement, interoperability and incentives.  
  • Harmonised approaches across the sector will be essential to make the market more attractive for automakers and consumers.  

Overall, the webinar provided valuable insights into the adoptions of EV’s in Australia, the challenges of integrating them into the energy system, the importance of whole-of-system planning and engaging consumers in the transition.  

If you’d like to watch the full webinar, including the panelists presentations, you can access the recording here.  

You can also access the panelists individual presentations below:

Join us for our Webinar in the New Year!  

C4NET is currently planning their fourth webinar of the ESP series, which will take place in the New Year!  

Keep an eye on your emails for topic and speaker announcements!

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