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Flexess: Energy transition through electromobility

In the course of the energy transition, the energy sector is undergoing a comprehensive transformation through the integration of renewable energies into the electricity system. In order to ensure the success of the transition to renewable energies in the areas of electricity, heat and mobility, efficient flexibility in the feed-in and withdrawal of electrical power plays a decisive role. The flexess project partners worked together to develop and implement solutions for a flexible and sustainable energy supply.

Flexibility in the energy transition

The household case study was dedicated to researching the potential for flexibility in existing single-family and multi-family homes as well as in new buildings. Possible flexibility measures include the use of photovoltaic systems, battery storage and heat pumps in conjunction with local energy management.

In the commercial, retail and services sector, the focus was particularly on the potential of existing air-conditioning systems in supermarkets and other chain stores to exploit flexibility.

The industrial sector also offers considerable potential for flexibility due to its high energy requirements and the extensive control options for processes and machines. The use of revenues from in-house generation and the possibility of storage can create additional economic incentives to exploit flexibility potential.

The electromobility case study specifically addressed the potential of flexibility in the context of potential applications for vehicle fleets, such as use as flexible energy storage.

The potential analysis shows a cross-sectoral potential for energy flexibilization of approx. 25 GW / 35 TWh/a. Depending on the scenario, this could amount to approx. 20-40 GW / 27-53 TWh/a in 2030. The regulatory framework conditions and economic incentives were also taken into account here.

Period

July 2019 until December 2022

Destination

Development of solutions for exploiting flexibility potentials in the electricity, heat and mobility transition, as recommendations for action for the energy industry

Result

Identification of savings potentials and framework conditions

Flexibility potential in electromobility

In this study, the theoretical flexibility potential through the use of electric vehicles in combination with charging stations (AC, DC) was analyzed.

Framework

The number of electric vehicles in Germany is currently growing exponentially, albeit at a comparatively low level. Due to the legal framework, the supply of electric vehicles and charging points as well as customer demand, this growth trend is expected to continue in the future. It therefore makes a lot of sense to include the potential of energy flexibilization through the integration of electric vehicles into the energy system.

Electric vehicles

The proportion of commercially used vehicles is 48.3%, of which 1.3% are electric vehicles. With an average energy content of 40 kWh per car, this results in an energy potential of 2.57 GWh. The total energy potential for electric cars therefore amounts to 5.39 GWh (2.82 GWh of which in the private sector).
The penetration of e-buses is only 0.5%. The energy content of the batteries installed in these buses varies between approx. 200 and 550 kWh, which results in an energy potential of 7.5 MWh.
In 2020, around 25,000 electrically powered trucks were registered in Germany, corresponding to 0.7% of all registrations. The energy potential for trucks therefore amounts to 2.44 GWh.

For all vehicle classes, a strong increase in both the absolute number of electric vehicles and the relative share of all registered vehicles is expected in the future. The share of electric vehicles in new car registrations is expected to be between 35% and 76% in 2030.

Charging stations

A distinction is made between AC charging stations and DC charging stations. The supply of suitable charging infrastructure must be expanded to a similar extent as the vehicles. The aim was therefore to reduce the charging time to 10-15 minutes in order to enable fast and practical use. Currently, the possible charging capacities of the vehicles are still lower than those of the charging stations. However, with increasing system voltages of up to 800 V in the vehicle electrical systems, this gap will be closed in the future. Current developments suggest a maximum charging capacity of up to 450 kW.

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Conclusion on the energy transition and electromobility

The greatest penetration of electric vehicles is currently found in commercial passenger cars. Cars also have the greatest energy potential, while trucks have the greatest power potential. This contrasts with final energy consumption in the transport sector of 751 TWh, of which 12 TWh is in the form of electricity. It is expected that the share of electricity in the final energy demand of the transport sector will increase significantly in the future. Based on the trends in registration figures and the installation of charging points as well as the development of the energy content of vehicle batteries, it can be assumed that the energy and power potential of electric vehicles will increase significantly in the future, both in the commercial and private sectors. However, a lot of work still needs to be done with regard to the corresponding regulatory framework, for example in the area of technical regulations, electricity trading or building regulations.

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