Opportunities to decarbonise can happen if the right measures are taken As emissions are also present in the EV manufacturing and disposal stages, ensuring that the operational emissions of EVs are close to zero, if not negative, helps deepen the decarbonisation of the transport sector. The electricity used for charging hence plays a role, and life-cycle analysis shows that the emissions reduction impact of shifting to EVs is more positive if the average emissions intensity of the electricity used for charging is less than 800 grammes (g) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-eq) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) (if larger internal combustion engine [ICE] cars are displaced by EVs of equivalent sizes) or less than 450 g CO₂-eq/kWh (if smaller ICE cars are displaced). While certain Latin American countries already have relatively less emissionsintensive power sectors thanks to abundant hydro, several Asian and African countries have highl emissions-intensive ones due to reliance on unabated fossil fuels. Increasing the capacity and consumption of low-carbon generation such as solar and wind is therefore necessary to lower the operational emissions of the incoming fleet of EV.

Despite the average emissions intensity of the power sectors in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), where and when EVs charge can make a difference. Co-ordinating charging during the hours when renewables are abundant can help keep the indirect emissions of EVs low and helps improve the business case of renewables by reducing potential curtailment. When charging is co-ordinated and co-located with distributed renewables such as solar PV, grid losses can also be reduced. Finally, avoiding EV charging during typical peak periods can reduce emissions and total costs, especially where oil is deployed as the marginal technology.

Smart charging can support grid performance and uptake of renewables Managed charging or smart charging is a way of integrating EV into the grid where the charging process could be adjusted to achieve power system objectives. These objectives could be voltage regulation and reduction of local peak in the distribution grid, or they could be frequency regulation and energy arbitrage in the bulk energy system. Smart charging the fleet of EVs can provide a good source of power system flexibility. In particular, it can increase the uptake of renewables. By providing a reliable load that can consume variable renewable generation, it can increase the confidence of system operators to add more renewables while maintaining stability, and it can also improve the business model of developers knowing that curtailment could be reduced or eliminated. In Korea, for example, smart charging by 2035 based on their announced net zero pledges can help increase the consumption of wind and solar generation, thereby reducing average emissions by 21% and reduce peak costs by USD 18 per megawatt-hour or 30%.

With the increasing focus on electricity security and decarbonisation, having digitally connected and flexible EVs that are able to respond to sudden changes in the power system will be become an important asset for policy makers. Power sector measures to enable smart charging are not yet fully present in EMDEs While there are several requirements1 for smart charging to take place, the power sector has a special role in laying the foundations of how it will use EVs as a resource. Depending on the degree of integration desired, different technological and regulatory frameworks must be deployed to facilitate a fair and efficient smart charging process.

Ensure standardisation and interoperability As different manufacturers of EVs, charging infrastructures and smart communications devices from different countries compete for market share, policy makers have the special role of enforcing standardisation and interoperability in order to ensure that EV users can access a wider variety of charging infrastructures, and that they can access power system services regardless of their choice of vehicle or mobility service provider. Aside from ensuring the different vehicles can interoperate with different charging infrastructure, ensuring streamlined communication between the charging infrastructure and the power system is also key. Here, the power system relies on common communication protocols to convey the signals needed for smart charging. Such standards could be set by tying them to charging infrastructure incentives, such as in Belgium and in Luxembourg. They could also be set up as a de facto standard based on public tenders such as in the Netherlands. They could also be legislated directly as a regulation such as in the United Kingdom for public charging infrastructure, and in India for battery swapping stations.

Source:http://IEA