Electric vehicles could create as much as 18 gigawatts of extra demand for electricity — the equivalent of the capacity of nearly six Hinkley Point nuclear power stations — at peak times by 2050, according to National Grid. The operator of Britain’s electricity system has analysed the potential impact on demand at busy times of the day, such as after working hours, if forecasts for rapid growth in electric vehicles by 2050 are realised. Its analysis follows several developments that suggest the growth in electric vehicles might accelerate dramatically over the coming decades, with Volvo Cars announcing last week that every model it makes from 2019 onwards would have an electric motor. France has also set an example to other governments by saying it would ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040. National Grid is assuming electric vehicle sales could account for more than 90 per cent of all cars in the UK by 2050, with 1m on Britain’s roads by the early 2020s and as many as 9m by 2030.
FT 12th July 2017 read more »
A dramatic growth in electric vehicles on Britain’s roads could see peak electricity demand jump by more than the capacity of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station by 2030, according to National Grid. The number of plug-in cars and vans could reach 9m by 2030, up from around 90,000 today, said the company, which runs the UK’s national transmission networks for electricity and gas. The impact of charging so many cars’ batteries would be to reverse the trend in recent years of falling electricity demand, driven by energy efficiency measures such as better boilers. National Grid acknowledged the cars’ batteries could also provide services andreturn power for the grid at a time when managing the network is becoming increasingly complex as variable sources of wind and solar power grow.
Guardian 13th July 2017 read more »