Oracle pilot program helps electric utilities manage growth in EVs

Oracle Utilities has unveiled a pilot program that analyzes electric vehicle (EV) use and enables electric utilities to reliably plan for growth.

“We have existing relationships with more than 100 utilities in the U.S,” said Dan Byrnes, senior vice president of product development at Oracle Utilities. “We’re working with many of them to pull meter data to drive energy efficiency and customer service.”

The Oracle Utilities Analytics Insights program spotlights homes that likely have EVs, when customers charge vehicles and how much power they use. With the new data, utilities will have the opportunity to analyze and plan changes in their networks, including strengthening their infrastructures.

“The data will allow them to [confidently] move ahead and add a new feature or upgrade the transformers they have or take other steps to prepare for that type of consumption,” he said in a recent interview with Daily Energy Insider.

Beyond that, utilities can boost their customer education and engagement. Rather than send generic reminders about energy use, they can target homes with EVs. They can approach those consumers and offer to work with them so they obtain the best rates and lessen their environmental footprints.

Charging an EV can increase a typical household’s energy usage by 15 percent or more and potentially double use during peak demand times. The Oracle program would give utilities tools to roll-out user-friendly EV adoption customer journeys and time-of-use plans to engage, educate, and reward owners for charging during non-peak times.

“Utilities can tell their customers’ if you shift energy use, you’ll save money,” Byrnes said. “Then the utility can say ‘Great job. You shifted your EV charging and saved $7. And, by the way, did you know your washing machine isn’t very energy efficient? Have you thought about upgrading your washing machine?’,” said Byrnes. “This is the type of customer engagement on energy efficiency that you can do once you know how people are using the energy within their house. And that’s the second major outcome of the work we’re doing.”

In the future, these same kinds of engagement programs can also be used for utilities to buy back unused energy from their customers’ EV batteries to help balance energy supply and demand in times of need.

Most electricity grids were created long before EVs were commercially viable consumer products. In 2017 about 3.1 million EVs were on U.S. roads, but that number is expected to rise to 125 million by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. As transportation continues to evolve from gas to the grid, utilities must plan for an uptick in energy demand that will vary dramatically by area.

The influx of EVs could represent an average additional growth of 1 percent to 4 percent in peak load on the grid over the next few decades, according to a report by McKinsey. While this may seem modest, the impact will be highly volatile and cause unpredictable spikes at the local sub-station and feeder levels in residential areas. This load is projected to reach as high as 30 percent peak growth in some urban regions that are hotspots for EV adoption.

“With almost every major auto manufacturer releasing new EV models in the coming years, the window of time for utilities to act is closing,” Byrnes added in a written statement. “The intelligence our analytics provide is essential for utilities to make needed assessments on grid investments and in tandem, work as trusted advisors to customers who may be in the dark as to how owning an EV is impacting their energy footprint and bill.”