Assessing the generation capacity, energy, and GHG emission reduction value of public electric vehicle recharging infrastructure in the Australian National Electricity Market

This paper assesses the potential costs and benefits of public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure with regard to electricity and gasoline consumption and greenhouse emissions in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) over the next two decades. This paper aims to assist policy makers by assessing the difference in electricity generation investment requirements, generation costs, gasoline costs, and GHG emission costs with universal EV charging infrastructure availability compared to only residential charging. Aggregated EV charging profiles and gasoline consumption levels are estimated through simulations based on travel data from the NSW Household Transport Survey. The potential impacts of EV charging on the NEM are then explored using the reference scenario of the 2012 network development plan of the Australian Energy Market Operator. Optimal future generation investment is determined with the long term expansion modelling module of a widely used electricity market simulator, PLEXOS, to estimate the changes in electricity system operation and investment costs to the year 2037. Results identify the potential for universal EV charging infrastructure to provide significant financial benefits relative to residential charging only.