Tag : Minimized

Massachusetts: According to some projections, the widespread use of electric vehicles may need the construction of costly new power facilities to satisfy nighttime peak demands. According to new research, strategically locating EV charging stations and implementing mechanisms to commence charging at later time might reduce or eliminate the need for new power plants. National and global climate change initiatives include boosting car electrification and the share of power generated from renewable sources. Yet, some forecasts indicate that these developments may need the construction of costly new power plants to satisfy peak loads in the evening when automobiles are plugged in after work. Moreover, solar farm overproduction throughout the day might squander important electricity generation capacity. In a new study, MIT researchers have found that it's possible to mitigate or eliminate both these problems without the need for advanced technological systems of connected devices and real-time communications, which could add to costs and energy consumption. Instead, encouraging the placing of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in strategic ways, rather than letting them spring up anywhere, and setting up systems to initiate car charging at delayed times could potentially make all the difference. The study, which will be published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, is by Zachary Needell PhD '22, postdoc Wei Wei, and Professor Jessika Trancik of MIT's Institute for Data, Systems and Society. In their analysis, the researchers used data collected in two sample cities: New York and Dallas. The data were gathered from, among other sources, anonymized records collected via onboard devices in vehicles, and surveys that c ...