Reducing the Impacts of Electric Vehicle Charging on Power Distribution Transformers

This article investigates the effects of high penetration levels of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging on power distribution transformers and proposes a new solution to minimize its negative impacts. There has been growing concern over Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions within the transportation sector, which accounts for about 23% of total energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions. The main solution to this problem is the electrification of vehicles. However, large scale integration of EVs into existing grid systems poses some challenges. One major challenge is the accelerated aging of expensive grid assets such as transformers. In this article, a demand response mechanism based on the thermal loading of transformers, is proposed. The proposed solution is modeled as an optimization problem, where a new time of use (ToU) tariff is used to shift the EV load considering the thermal loading of transformers, thereby minimizing their accelerated aging. The simulation results show that the accelerated aging of transformers can be reduced without augmenting the existing grid.