Increasing EV public charging with distributed generation in the electric grid

Electric Vehicle (EV) sales continue to increase, making a preexisting need for updating current infrastructure even more important. Public charging, in particular, fast DC charging technologies can cause stress to the grid, including voltage deviations and increased loading, leading to issues including a degradation of power quality, power equipment loss of life, and brownouts. Literature has shown that distributed generation (DG) can serve as a solution to these stresses to the distribution grid. DG, however, have not been combined with EV charging stations as a method to offset to these stresses. The presented study quantifies the requirements of DG´s location and output power in a distribution system with public EV charging stations. This pairing is particularly appealing as it increases generation capacity to meet the needs of EVs in a way which counters grid stress and increases the “green” nature of the grid, furthering the goal of lower emissions. The proposed benefits are demonstrated through three cases in the IEEE-37 bus system.