Vehicle electrification is a critical component of the energy transition. It presents significant challenges and a raft of new opportunities for fleet owners and those providing charging infrastructure.

Shell is navigating this transition and is using Gridcog software to explore optimal designs for innovative e-mobility solutions. The e-mobility business and R&D teams are exploring ways in which fleets can contribute to the bottom line via vehicle-to-grid in the Netherlands. They use Gridcog to help accelerate their deployment of fast charging infrastructure at their forecourts, ensuring that they have enough infrastructure to support charging events at peak times.

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Importance of vehicle electrification

The EU has mandated carbon emission goals for vehicles, including that by 2035 there is a zero-CO2 emission target for new cars and vans. While the electrification of cars is an important step to reducing anthropogenic climate change, it also presents an opportunity for new income streams for those who are willing to electrify their fleets.

Forecourt electrification projects

One of the challenges with electrifying forecourts is that they often have a limited grid connection and the power required for their fast chargers can easily exceed 10-20x of their normal load. This means that battery storage is often required to assist with ‘peak shaving’ (reducing peak electricity demand on the grid from the fast chargers). Due to expanding customer appetite for fast charging infrastructure, the Shell team use Gridcog to help design what additional energy assets are required to support the rollout of more fast chargers on their forecourts in the Netherlands, allowing more of their customers to charge without going over their connection limits.

Gridcog software has enabled Shell to explore new revenue streams by providing grid balancing and ancillary services with fast chargers and battery storage in their forecourts, such as aFRR and FCR, network tariffs optimisation as well as monetising spare capacities at site.

Instead of moving forward with a traditional site design process, using Gridcog, Shell was able to model out hundreds of different scenarios, in some cases showing that some minor changes in site architecture could strengthen the business case of a project - both in terms of asset sizing and also the commercial structures and markets that these assets could participate in.

Fleet electrification projects

The Shell team has also been using Gridcog to develop integrated energy offerings for their EV customers and to guide large scale electrification projects for fleets and depots. “What is interesting about large fleets of vehicles, in particular delivery vehicles, is that they can spend a significant amount of time parked at depots. As an electric vehicle is in essence an energy asset these fleets can start contributing to the bottom line, especially when aggregated in a pool of assets.” Genna Boyle, Director UK & Europe, Gridcog. Fleets that are aggregated like this may be able to participate in wholesale energy markets and/or ancillary service markets - this means that they’re able to compete with other energy assets, such as batteries. This is especially significant as this is their secondary job (their first is being a vehicle).

To achieve the goals mandated in the EU for carbon emissions, including zero-CO2 emission for new cars and vans by 2035, it’s vital for leaders in the energy sector to be able to navigate the complexity of delivering this infrastructure, and prove that there is a profitable path for these projects to deliver value.

The ongoing collaboration with Shell’s e-mobility team in the Netherlands is a key milestone in Gridcog’s continuing expansion into the UK and Europe. We’re thrilled to help facilitate this critical work to continue the decarbonisation of the energy system with such an enthusiastic, thoughtful and friendly team. Thank you, Shell!

Do you have unanswered questions about your clean energy project? Gridcog are working with asset owners and infrastructure innovators in the UK and Europe to delve deeper into the dynamics of their designs. Get in touch to organise a demo of Gridcog software today.

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