Assessing electric mobility and renewable energy synergy in a small New Caledonia Island community

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we evaluate the synergy between variable renewable energy (VRE), electric mobility, and Vehicle to Grid (V2G) deployment for a small community transitioning to a low-carbon economy. We propose an integrated deterministic modeling approach that accurately describes electric mobility activity within the electric grid in the ETEM-SG long-term capacity expansion model. This approach allowed us to keep the entire approach in the linear programming domain. We then perform a scenario analysis on the Isle of Pines case. The results show that V2G is essential for electric vehicles to make a positive contribution to the electric system by providing a supply–demand balance service. The deployment of electric vehicles allows reaching a VRE penetration rate of up to 94%, at no additional cost compared to a solution without electric vehicles, and even with a global-cost reduction of up to 5.3% thanks to a decrease of the capacity of stationary battery packs needed for storage.

KEYWORDS:

• Energy transition
• electric mobility
• renewable energy
• vehicle-to-grid
• bottom-up approach

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Province Sud, Nouvelle Calédonie.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ Kunie in Kanak, Kwênyii.

² Schéma de Transition Energetique de la Province Sud, 2017.

³ The Isle of Pines, an elevated atoll, measures 14 by 18 kilometers.

⁴ These are regions, like island or isolated territories, that are not connected to a national transmission system.