Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as a mean to reduce CO2 emissions from electricity production
Konferensbidrag (offentliggjort, men ej förlagsutgivet), 2009

In this study we have investigated the consequences of integrating plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV:s) in a wind-thermal power system supplied by one quarter of wind power and three quarters of thermal generation. A fleet of PHEV:s with an electricity consumption corresponding to 3%, 12% and 20% of the total electricity consumption has been integrated to the system (i.e. the total electricity consumption remains unaffected while the non-PHEV consumption is 97%, 88% and 80% in the three cases). Four PHEV integration strategies, with different impacts on the total electric load profile, have been investigated by means of a mixed integer model which can model the effects of the new load profiles on the dispatch of the units in the system and, thus, on the CO2-emissions from the system. The study shows that PHEV:s can reduce the CO2-emissions from the power system if actively integrated, whereas a passive approach to PHEV integration (i.e. letting people charge the car at will) is likely to result in an increase in emissions compared to a power system without PHEV load. The model simulations give that CO2 emissions of the power sector are reduced with up to 4.7% compared to a system without PHEV:s. If the reduction in emissions is allocated to the electricity consumed by the PHEV:s, the emissions from generation of this electricity are reduced from 588 kg CO2/MWh (windthermal system without PHEV:s) down to 367 kg CO2/MWh (PHEV:s actively integrated). Under the assumption that electric mode is about 3 times as efficient as standard gasoline operation, emissions from PHEV:s would then be less than half the emissions of a standard car, when running in electric mode.

wind power

PHEV integration

CO2 emissions

power generation system


Lisa Göransson

Chalmers, Energi och miljö, Energiteknik

Sten Karlsson

Chalmers, Energi och miljö, Fysisk resursteori

Filip Johnsson

Chalmers, Energi och miljö, Energiteknik






Annan elektroteknik och elektronik



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