DC Share

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 January 2020

01 April 2022

ENA months

£5,629,000

Power

London

Project Contact, National Grid Electricity Transmission

Project Contact, Western Power Distribution

This project will assist with rapid EV charging requirements by providing facilities where they are needed, whilst making optimal use of the available network capacity.The ProblemThe connection costs for rapid EV charging facilities are a critical consideration for developers. Provision of rapid charging facilities is key to their uptake (particularly for fleets and urban delivery services) and hence high connection costs will be a barrier to the uptake of EVs. Users must be able to charge their EVs in a manner that is at least as convenient as current refuelling methods.The SolutionA Smart network solution that allows rapid charging by using the available capacity across a number of substations. The solution will determine the best connection point to draw power from and will also support heavily loaded transformers.

This project will assist with the facilitation of rapid EV charging equipment by providing appropriate network connections where they are needed, whilst making optimal use of the available network capacity.The connection costs for rapid EV charging facilities are a critical consideration for developers. Provision of rapid charging facilities is key to the uptake of electric vehicles (particularly for fleets and urban delivery services) and hence high connection costs in some areas could be seen as a potential barrier to the uptake of EVs. Users must be able to charge their EVs in a manner that is at least as convenient as current refuelling methods, which means minimum dwell time, or opportunity charging where vehicles may stop.DC share is a smart DC network solution that facilitates rapid charging in constrained areas by using the available latent capacity across a number of substations. The solution will mesh a number of distribution substations, with DC converters and high capacity DC links. The DC system will then determine the best point to draw power from for the charger and it will also support heavily loaded transformers.

26/10/22