EV Charging Station Placement Strategy Considering Power Grid Impact for Future Expansion of EV in Kathmandu Valley: A Case Study of Sanepa Feeder

Abstract

Increasing concerns over the unsustainable fossil fuel consumption and initiatives to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the interests over battery operated electric vehicles (EVs) are increasing. While the primary infrastructure to flourish this technology is charging stations, the impact of such load on the distribution network is somehow being shadowed. When the load from EV chargers are being added to existing power system, the voltage fluctuations and power loss are imminent. This study analyzed the impact of addition of EV charging load on the Sanepa distribution network. The system modelling was performed using DigSILENT PowerFactory tool and the optimal placement of EV charging station along the feeder line was determined using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique in MATLAB environment. The impact of EV charging station load placement on the distribution network were studied through the behavior analysis of Voltage stability, Reliability and Power loss (VRP) parameters of the line before and after load addition. The results from impact analysis on VRP index was used in defining the objective function for optimization. The optimal locations for EV charging station placement were obtained which effectively addressed concerns of power grid impact. This study shows random placement of EV charging station loads cause severe effect on network quality while strategically placed loads not only reduce the power grid impact but also increase system efficiency and reliability.