Consideration of New Electricity Applications in Distribution Grid Expansion Planning and the Role of Flexibility

Abstract:
New electricity applications such as electric vehicles or heat pumps play an important role for the reduction of greenhouse gas emission. However, the installation of new loads in distribution grids can cause additional grid expansion demand. For an analysis of this effect as well as a development of novel grid planning approaches, an understanding of the operational behavior of these applications is crucial. In this paper, we analyze the behavior of novel electricity applications by means of simultaneity functions and under consideration of different operation strategies, including the use of flexibility in electricity markets. We can show, that new electricity application have a significant influence on future grid expansion costs and that the use of distributed flexibility intensifies this effect in certain cases.