The impact of vehicle charging loads on frequency regulation procurements in ERCOT

It is anticipated that plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), which rely exclusively on a battery to provide some or all of their driving range, will grow in popularity in the coming decades. In anticipation of the growth in electricity demand to support PEV charging, extensive study has been devoted to assessing the effects of these loads. While optimal charging strategies could be applied to minimize the impact of PEV charging, these strategies have not been widely adopted, nor are there significant incentives for vehicle owners to adopt them. In this work, Monte Carlo simulations are performed to assess the effect of uncertainty in vehicle charging loads on frequency regulation procurement requirements in ERCOT. Results indicate that even for the largest fleet size simulated, 500,000 vehicles, the increase in frequency regulation required is typically less than 6 MW, which represents just over 1% of the average quantity procured in 2011.