Grid congestion is a potential constraint for businesses when charging electric vans and trucks. Efforts are therefore being made to find solutions for charging vehicles when grid capacity is limited. These solutions are mitigating measures. CE Delft has assessed how effective and promising these measures are in six actual practical cases, in a study commissioned by the National Charging Infrastructure Agenda (NAL). Our conclusion: time-based contracts appear to be an important element in increasing the availability of charging capacity. In addition, on-site batteries can act as a temporary solution.
The electrification of vehicles is often essential for the businesses surveyed due to the announced zero-emission zones, customer demand or tender requirements. However, the power grid is increasingly ‘full’ due to increasing electrification. When there is grid congestion, businesses are temporarily unable to request extra transmission capacity. It also means that a larger connection is possible only after reinforcement of the grid. As a result, businesses sometimes have to wait years for the required connection.
Businesses can take action themselves. These ‘mitigating measures’ allow them to use more electricity when grid capacity is limited. The six main mitigating measures are:
Six practical examples
We examined the mitigating measures contributing to the desired situation for six business. Our report identifies the various solutions and shows that in many cases it is possible to electrify despite grid congestion.
No regret: smart charging
Smart charging distributes the available power among the vehicles in such a way that all vehicles are charged within the available charging time. Smart charging has a positive effect for all businesses: it contributes to the timely charging of vehicles. Smart charging allows businesses to avoid peaks and not exceed their connection capacity.
Crucial: time block-based contracts
A time block-based contract allows businesses to use more capacity during hours when there is less demand on the grid. Some substations have around 30% residual capacity during the night. In particular, these contracts are suited to the transport sector because they mainly charge at night. The contracts will officially be launched in 2025, but are unlikely to be more widely applicable until 2026. The remaining capacity will be allocated via a waiting list. It is therefore wise to contact your grid operator in good time.
Temporary solution: batteries
The cases show that local batteries are a particularly promising temporary solution for a limited number of electric vehicles until grid reinforcement is realised. For charging larger fleets, a battery has too many limitations. A larger grid connection is often needed anyway and the investment required is high.