On integrating electric vehicles into Smart Energy Systems: Italy and Germany in comparison

Over the last decade, electric vehicles have gained ever-increasing interest as a promising alternative to conventional road transport being able to reduce pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions and shift the economy away from oil products. Electric vehicles can play a major role in the transition towards Smart Energy Systems, thanks to the synergies that can be implemented with the other sectors, in particular in the challenges related to energy storage. However, the related increase in electricity demand inevitably affects the strategic planning of the overall energy system as well as the definition of the optimal power generation mix. With this respect, the impact of electric vehicles may vary significantly depending on the country according to composition of both total primary energy supply and electricity generation. In this study, Italy and Germany are compared to highlight how a similarity in their renewables shares not necessarily leads to a CO2 emissions reduction, when electric vehicles penetrate energy systems whose power generation sector relies heavily on carbon-intensive primary energy sources. Different energy scenarios are simulated with the help of EnergyPLAN software assuming a progressive increase in renewable energy sources capacity, up to 2050 projections, and electric vehicles penetration. Results show that, for the German case, the additional electricity required leads to an increase in CO2 emissions if RES capacity is below a certain threshold, whereas the Italian energy system always benefits from EV. At the highest renewable capacity instead, CO2 emissions can be reduced up to 23 and 25% for Italy and Germany respectively, when electric vehicles, recharged under a smart strategy, replace entirely the conventional fleet for private transportation. Despite featuring a decrease with electric mobility integration, power curtailments are still significant at high renewable capacity in the absence of large-scale energy storage systems