Page 21 - Gi flipbook September 2018

TOGETHER IN

ELECTRIC DREAMS

By Bethan Winter, Wales
the electricity network influence the
& West Utilities System
behaviour of many of our customers,
including power generation sites
Operation Manager
connected to our network, and the key
role gas will play as we move to a
ncreasing electric vehicle (EV) more flexible, integrated and dynamic
use is a major source of future energy system.
discussion right across the Historically, gas generation and
energy industry, and nowhere demand behaved in a very stable and
I more so than among electricity predictable way. Gas generation was
distribution network operators cheap and considered cleaner than
(DNOs). They are anticipating alternatives. Once sites were
significant increases to customer connected, their use of gas varied
demand as more and more drivers opt little between different hours, days of
for electric vehicles, especially as they the week or even seasons.
are apt to charge them at the end of Since 2013, we have seen
the working day. significant change in this area. Our
The energy industry is also total connected power generation
considering a range of issues caused has increased from just over
by electric vehicles. How can demand 1,200MW output to just over
from charging be managed? Will time 1,600MW output following the
of use tariffs act as a reliable incentive connection of 23 new small flexible
to encourage people to charge their generation sites, each represented by
cars when the network has most a dot on the graph in Figure 1.
capacity and generation available At the same time, the behaviour of
(preferably renewable)? Can the grid these and our legacy customers has
be flexible enough to use leftover changed significantly.
electric vehicle charge as a form of Gas generation is no longer base
storage, enhancing network flexibility? load, rather it is being used
You’d be forgiven for thinking this increasingly to balance the
issue is one for DNOs alone and not generation available to the electricity
one for gas or gas networks to consider. networks, being used less when new
The potential impact of electric vehicles renewable generation such as solar
on the gas network is something that’s and wind are available, and then
gone largely unnoticed. being relied upon to maintain
In the last few years, we’ve increased reliability at other times (see Figure 2).
our understanding of how activities on The impact of this changing

FIGURE 1: Power generation connection and cumulative output from WWU Network (MW)

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