Charged EVs | EPRI’s GridFAST helps fleets and EV charging suppliers streamline communication with utilities

The Electrical Energy Analysis Institute (EPRI) has launched a web-based portal designed to assist fleet operators and charging suppliers to work together with the US’ 3,200 electrical utilities. GridFAST encourages early notifications from clients with EV initiatives to permit utilities to plan for the brand new masses.

EPRI developed GridFAST in collaboration with utilities, fleet operators and charging suppliers, to deal with the challenges associated to grid interconnections. Many of those challenges outcome from utilities’ completely different processes, instruments and regulatory necessities. Planning and integrating new electrical masses on the grid has traditionally been a multi-year course of—significantly longer than the time required to obtain new electrical vehicles, buses or vans.

“For 100 years, utilities have primarily built-in masses associated to buildings, however these masses have lengthy development timelines, so the grid planning cycle matched these timelines,” mentioned EPRI Senior Technical Govt Watson Collins. “EVs could be procured in a day or in just a few months at most, so utility planning efforts want to begin sooner than ever earlier than. GridFAST allows clients with future initiatives to right-size their charging wants, whereas contemplating a utility’s current grid capability and any EV-related packages they provide.”

“In case you are a buyer planning websites with EV charging masses, the best solution to start an early and safe dialog with the best utility and utility contact, is to make use of GridFAST as a central portal for collaboration,” mentioned EPRI Director of Transportation Britta Gross. “Enter the earliest data you’ve got a couple of web site, replace it over time as particulars grow to be clearer, and be certain that your undertaking is on the utility’s radar years prematurely of your load needing grid interconnection.”

A few of GridFAST’s key options:

• Prospects can match any undertaking location within the US to the related utility and the very best level of contact on the utility.
• Prospects can see EV-related program data throughout utilities in a standardized format.
• Prospects can enter preliminary web site data for initiatives a few years down the highway to tell utilities of future intentions.
• Prospects want to know solely a single, frequent utility business portal consumption type to organize data for a utility’s pre-service request course of.
• Utilities can use buyer web site inputs to plan for the combination impression of buyer masses, as a substitute of addressing one buyer load at a time.

A number of utilities and charging operators have already signed on to GridFAST’s Guiding Rules, together with Ameren, CenterPoint Vitality, Con Edison, Customers Vitality, DHL, Nice River Vitality, IONNA, Nationwide Grid, Omaha Public Energy District, Pacific Fuel & Electrical, Pitt Ohio, Portland Normal Electrical, Republic Companies, Sacramento Municipal Utility District and Southern California Edison.

“We want instruments that may make it simpler to work together with the dozen or so utilities that serve our websites, all of which have completely different processes and packages,” mentioned Pitt Ohio VP of Automobile Upkeep and Fleet Companies Taki Darakos. “GridFAST’s standardization makes it simpler to acquire data, determine the best contacts, and set up early connections with utilities. You enter some undertaking data, even in case you don’t but know every thing, and also you get an estimate of the facility wanted and different data to start a utility dialog.”

Supply: Electrical Energy Analysis Institute