How to charge into the electric vehicle era and not overtax Alberta's power grid

This column is an opinion by Aviv Fried, a data analyst and recent graduate of the master of public policy program at the University of Calgary. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

The future is here: electric vehicles are coming in droves. 

If you thought that Albertans would not jump on this electric bandwagon, the Ford F-150 Lightning could change your mind. Ford Canada is no longer taking reservations for its new electric truck due to high demand, with orders stretching well into 2023.

Alberta had 3,527 electric vehicles registered by March 2021, nearly triple the total from two years earlier. Although the number of EVs registered in Alberta is behind other parts of the country, the trend is clear.

Enmax predicts Calgary will be home to up to 300,000 EVs by 2030. Five years later, the federal government mandates that all new vehicles sold be zero-emission.

The shift from internal combustion engines to EVs will challenge the electrical grid in two ways.

The coming jolts

First, an increase in demand will require significant investment in electricity generation, transmission and distribution. Some of these costs will be transferred to customers through increased electricity rates — and recent price hikes are already causing burdens for residents. Investment in renewable energies, such as solar and wind, which are cheaper to install and cheaper for the consumer, can offer a partial solution.

Second, the increase in demand will require utility companies to manage the distribution system overload. Demand is already high in the early evenings when people come home from work and switch on their lights and appliances — and it will only get worse as multiple studies indicate most EV owners plug in their cars around 5 p.m.  

A recent study of EV owners in Calgary that I conducted for the University of Calgary, but have not yet published, suggested that if charging patterns are left unmanaged, increasing the number of plug-ins in Calgary to 200,000 would require an additional 1,000 megawatts of electricity. That's an increase of six per cent over the existing capacity in all of Alberta. 

To limit this potential surge in demand, and to better manage the electricity system, Albertans could shift their charging patterns from high-demand to low-demand times. Instead of just spending to upgrade the system — which consumers will ultimately pay for — utility companies should educate and incentivize EV owners to charge their vehicles during low-demand periods.

An even more effective solution would be to manage demand using technologies that co-ordinate EV charging and identify the mix of electricity being generated. Such a system will initiate charging at times of low demand and when electricity is generated in a higher percentage by renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind.

My study showed that, on average, EV owners plugged in their vehicles for 15 hours a day, but the actual charging time was just over two hours. This short-charging can happen any time during the plugged-in period and should occur when demand is low and renewable sources power the grid.

Developing such technologies will require two-way communication between utilities and energy consumers. Getting there will take time and investment.

In the meantime, there are low-hanging fruit solutions that can bring us closer to managing demand and reducing the impact of EV adoption on the grid. 

Often it is enough to educate and inform consumers to change their behaviour.

Studies indicate that consumers would shift charging patterns even when no monetary incentives were offered if armed with the right information. This happened during a recent heat wave in California, when demand dropped by 2,000 megawatts after the Governor's Office of Emergency Services issued a statewide text message alert asking residents to conserve energy to protect the grid from outages.

Powered by information

While voluntary behaviour change is logical and feasible, it is not simple. Finding the mix of electricity sources flowing into homes is challenging.

The Alberta Electric System Operator publishes a real-time table that provides this information. Still, it is complex to understand unless one is versed in electricity terminology. 

It wouldn't take much for utility companies in Alberta to provide this valuable information to customers in a clear and accessible format. Albertans are charged a flat rate for electricity, which does not change throughout the day. In other jurisdictions, like Ontario, electricity rates vary based on time of use. Companies there provide easy-to-use apps, where consumers can see up-to-the-minute electricity rates. 

Some of those apps, such as Gridwatch, include the mix of sources that power the grid and their carbon intensity. Many Albertans might prefer to consult an app to check the available electricity mix before plugging in their EVs and running dishwashers or clothes dryers. 

The energy transition requires multiple solutions that will unleash creativity and ingenuity. Some solutions will be complex and demand a long time to implement. Others, such as this one, are relatively simple, can be implemented quickly and can be a first step in encouraging behavioural changes that turn EVs from being a potential problem for the grid to an asset.

The future is here, so we might as well do it right.

Do you have a strong opinion that could add insight, illuminate an issue in the news, or change how people think about an issue? We want to hear from you. Here's how to pitch to us.