The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $1.6 million in funding to Jemena to undertake a residential EV managed charging trial with four other electricity networks in the ACT, Victoria and Tasmania.

Jemena will work with Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSP) AusNet, Evoenergy, TasNetworks and United Energy on a 176 EV residential trial to demonstrate the use of hardware based smart charging directed by signals from networks as opposed to electricity retailers.

The project will be the first time networks have played a direct role in EV charge management, assisting in the potential impacts of EVs on the electricity system.

By installing network monitoring equipment, the project will help better understand the network conditions and impact of the EVs in real time. Based on this information, signals will also be sent by each network to an aggregation platform that will communicate with smart charging hardware to control EV charging.

Additionally, DNSPs can access the potential costs and benefits of managed charging which will help the networks minimise and justify future expenditure more accurately while improving network infrastructure and enabling a lower cost of integration of EVs for all customers, present and future.

Hardware and software will be supplied and installed by JET Charge.

ARENA chief executive Darren Miller says that while ARENA’s other EV projects involve networks in more of a consultative role, this project will put networks’ in the driver’s seat managing EV charging for the first time: “As the penetration of EVs increases, it will be important to manage and orchestrate the charging of vehicles to avoid negative impacts on networks and costs and ensure the optimal outcome for all parties.

“Networks will be key to this as they hold the ultimate responsibility for integrating EVs into their grids while maintaining security of supply and minimising costs.”

Jemena Networks manager Shaun Reardon says that with more and more Australians buying EVs, the company is playing its part to support the adoption while “ensuring the electricity grid can manage the extra consumption, particularly in neighbourhoods that already have a high uptake of electric vehicles”.