Smart Electric Vehicle Charging System : Controlling Multiple Electrical Vehicle Chargers using OCPP to Limit Electricity Demand

Abstract

Peak demand is a problem when Electrical Vehicle charging is introduced in the electricity grid. Local limitations like fuses and transformer capacity can rapidly be overloaded if multiple Electrical Vehicles are charging at the same time. This can be solved by shifting these loads in time. This master’s Thesis presents a solution by using the communication protocol OCPP to restrict one or more chargers below a set demand limit. The solution is developed in cooperation with Sharebox [1] and Grønn Kontakt [2], and is in prototype phase at the end of this Master’s Thesis. Testing demonstrates that the prototype can reduce the electricity demand of Charge Points in response to other loads. The solution is adaptable and can with small modifications be improved to limit charging based on overall grid capacity. This improvement will allow demand side management to counter grid overload instead of the common solution to have supply side resolve any grid demands. Key Words: Energy Management, OCPP, EVSE, Demand Limit