A Novel Reliability Index Based Approach for EV Charging Station Allocation in Distribution System

Large-scale deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) is deleterious for distribution system operations. Unplanned installation of EV charging station (EVCS) deteriorates the voltage stability, reliability, and power quality of the distribution system leading to customer discontentment. This article proposes a novel approach for the proper placement of EVCS in a distribution network maintaining the system performance. The design of a test station with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability is outlined in this work. The test station is developed with five charging columns taking into consideration the standards and guidelines outlined in the Government of India EV policy. The charging station is connected to the power grid by a dc bus to which numerous EVs are attached. EVCS placement in the IEEE-33 bus radial distribution system is performed by developing six test scenarios. The test case results substantiate the potency of the reliability-index based approach for allocating EVCS both slow and fast chargers in a distribution network. Further, the maximal threshold value for placing the EVCS in various buses in a distribution system is determined using a novel electric vehicle placement index (EVPI). The novelty of the approach lies in the fact that it can include all operational parameters influenced owing to EV deployment, thereby maintaining the overall system performance without any physical restructuring of the network. The efficacy of the approach and the severity level of EVCS placement are validated for a real-time distribution system in Kerala, India.

Automated summary

This article proposes a novel approach for the proper placement of EV charging stations in a distribution network to maintain system performance and validates the efficacy of the approach through testing.