Power systems, the backbone of future low-carbon energy systems, must take up two challenges. For one, integrate increasing amounts of variable renewable energy sources. For two, supply a growing overall demand, driven by the electrification of end-use sectors. This dissertation uses modeling and statistical methods to advance our understanding of the interplay between power systems based on variable renewable energy sources and battery electric vehicles. It conducts both policy-oriented impact assessments and model evaluations and enhancements. The general introduction motivates why interactions between battery electric vehicles and future power systems are intricate, how modeling methods can help and which challenges they face. Chapter 1 systematically assesses the power sector impacts of combining different shares of uncontrolled, smart and bidirectional charging within a car fleet. Additionally, it analyses distributional consequences for various groups of electricity consumers. Chapter 2 quantifies how much switching from private to shared electric vehicles affects the power sector and examines whether electric shared cars hinder the integration of variable renewable energy sources. Chapter 3 undertakes an evaluation of the modeling approach used in the two previous chapters. More specifically, it focuses on the trade-off that power sector modelers face between the degree of accuracy in representing battery electric vehicles and the time required to run their models. Chapter 4 also takes a modeling perspective and assesses how the absence of explicit representation of prosumers, households who both produce and consume electricity, might bias results in power sector models. Model enhancements are developed and their relevance demonstrated in various settings, in particular for prosumer households with battery electric vehicles. This dissertation shows that the composition of electric car fleets impacts future power systems: moderate shares of bidirectional charging can bring many benefits; shared electric cars can align well with variable renewable energy sources, albeit slightly less effectively than their private counterparts. Furthermore, it stresses the importance to continuously assess and develop power sector models, as the ongoing energy transition facilitates the emergence of new technologies and behaviors. In particular, modelers should strive to include a stylized representation of prosumers and a sufficiently detailed representation of battery electric vehicles.
Adeline Guéret (Thu,) studied this question.