A Novel Electric Vehicle Placement Index for Sustaining Power Quality in a Distribution Network: Proper Allocation of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Large-scale deployment of electric vehicles (EV
s
) has adverse effects on distribution network operations. Inappropriate installation of EV charging stations (EVCS) degrades the distribution network’s power quality, affecting smooth functioning. This article proposes a novel strategy for properly allocating EVCS in a distribution system by analyzing the impact of power quality issues, namely harmonics and loss of life of the distribution transformer. The analysis is carried out in a standard IEEE-33 bus radial distribution system and a real-time distribution system in Kerala, India. The impact of power quality issues is highlighted by perceiving the effect of slow/moderate and fast chargers in the system under study. The results substantiate the potency of the reliability index (RI) strategy. The severity level for planning the charging station (CS) in numerous buses in the distribution network without infrastructural upgrades is determined by employing a modified novel EV placement index (EVPI
_m
). The novelty of the index lies in the fact that it incorporates all of the operational parameters with a specific focus on the power quality issues in the distribution network. The severity level of the EVPI
_m
maintains the power quality without increasing the rating of the components used or any infrastructural upgrades. The sensitivity analysis results prove the robustness of the modified EVPI-based strategy. Moreover, the proposed strategy is validated using real-time experiments on a hardware-in-loop real-time simulator, OPAL-RT OP4510. The results substantiate the efficacy of the strategy and the modified index.