Smart charging solution considering distribution network constraints

Recent evolutions in the societal, economic, technical and technological context challenge the Distribution System Operator (DSO) to face a rapid growth of electric vehicles (EV) connected to low voltage networks. The development of a prototypal tool able to assess the impact of EV integration on a real distribution network in a short time becomes a necessity. The main issue is to create an efficient communication interface between the DSO and electric vehicles supply equipment´s owner (EVSE) in order to prevent EV charging during peak period. We describe in this paper a solution which has been implemented in Lyon by ERDF, (main French DSO). This solution, tested within the context of the smart grid project “Lyon Smart Community”, led by Toshiba, has been developed using consumption forecast and load flow calculations. Thanks to this tool, technical impacts of EV integration on the distribution network are assessed and integrated in the operational EV´s charging management. The whole system is now running in Lyon with a fleet of 30 vehicles spread within a district.