How are Utilities in Louisiana Preparing for the needs of Electric Vehicles?
Posted by admin on Sep. 25, 2022 / Electric Vehicles, Clean Fuels Infrastructure / Subscribe 0
Written by Elizabeth Linehan, Clean Cities Intern
As electric vehicles, and electrification in general, become more popular, reliance on the electricity grid grows. Likewise, concerns over whether or not Louisiana’s grid will be able to withstand the growing demand are increasing. We asked a representative from Entergy, Louisiana’s largest energy utility company, how they plan to maneuver this growing challenge.
How will Louisiana Prepare?
Currently, Entergy is conducting a “grid impact analysis,” which helps understand the potential impact of electrified vehicles on Entergy’s grid and gain insight into the impacts and needs at the substations and feeder levels. This was conducted utilizing members of the power generation and the power delivery teams to ensure all elements of this topic were considered.
This process requires forecasting how many electric vehicles will be in the state and in some high-demand regions. This creates an understanding of how quickly and the rate at which the grid needs to develop. For this, we can look at the predicted electric vehicle sales and ownership through 2050:
The graph shows that while there is a steady increase in electric vehicle ownership, high ownership and growth will not occur until after 2040. Information about where dense electric vehicle adoption is likely to occur allows Entergy and other utilities to focus their efforts on particular areas of Louisiana. Forecasting provides utilities ample time to develop and prepare the grid for future demand. Entergy is conducting similar research into the transportation electrification trend in general, not just lightweight personal electric vehicles.
Entergy is also working with customers to prepare for electrification through both “wired” and “non-wired” systems. “Wired” refers to greater electricity provisions, and “non-wired” refers to other ways customers can reduce the strain on the grid. For example, programs such as collecting data through a rebate system for customers installing EV chargers at their homes provide information on adoption, usage rates, and the impact of charging in residential areas. Additionally, providing some Entergy customers with incentives, education, and resources to use energy during off-peak times allows electric vehicle drivers to charge their cars at lower costs while reducing strain during peak times. As peak hours during the summer are defined as 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm, this means owners can charge their cars overnight with lower prices.
By undergoing this analysis, Entergy and other utilities will have a greater understanding of the future needs of the grid in localized areas. This will allow the company to develop its generation and delivery systems to keep up with the growing demand and estimate the cost of the required distribution upgrades.
Learn more:
https://www.rewiringamerica.org/circuit-breakers-the-grid
https://integratedreport.entergy.com/
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