Nova Scotia Vehicle Grid Integration Pilot

Lead Proponent

Nova Scotia Power Inc.

Project Background

The objective of this project was to demonstrate and assess the benefits of electric vehicle (EV) integration into the Nova Scotia grid, including the economic viability, benefits to the grid, and effects on EV user experience, using a utility-managed centralized control system.

The project:

• demonstrated smart charging and vehicle-to-grid integration solutions to manage the timing and intensity of Nova Scotians’ electricity demand,
• enabled an increased capacity to accept variable sources of renewable energy such as wind and solar,
• assessed the typical EV charging behaviours of Nova  Scotia users,
• assessed the willingness of EV drivers to participate in vehicle-grid integration activities based on various factors (financial incentives, availability of renewable energy),
• informed Utilities on sustainable rate design decisions related to EV integration.

In order to accomplish these objectives, the project recruited up to 200 participants in the province to demonstrate utility-controlled smart charging and assess the potential of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bidirectional charging to mitigate peak demand impacts (both locally and grid-scale).

Results

This project demonstrated a cost-effective solution for vehicle-grid integration in Nova Scotia through two methods: smart charging and bidirectional charging. The smart charging demonstration leveraged the amount of variable renewable generation to an otherwise carbon-intensive grid and aligned charging times to times when renewable generation was high. The bidirectional charging demonstration expanded on this, and allowed EV users to discharge their EV batteries back to the grid at times of low renewable generation to limit the need for fossil fuel electricity generation, while providing a financial incentive to EV owners.

The project successfully demonstrated the affordability, reliability, and environmental sustainability gains of these solutions.

Benefits to Canada

The successful completion of this project has provided much data to develop future development of this technology. As a result, Canadians will be able to benefit financially from demand-based charge management and further cost savings from switching to EVs. For utilities, charge management allows an extra degree of grid stabilization when demand is high. Furthermore, the decreased reliance on fossil fuel-based electricity generation moves Canada closer to achieving its net-zero 2050 targets.

Next Steps

Upon completion of this project, the Proponent will continue to push forward the readiness of bidirectional charging as a solution to demand-side management. This will involve the creation of codes and standards and additional platforms for distributed energy resources.