Table 12 Technical key findings, challenges and recommendations.

Voltage variation

VAR management is effective for minimizing voltage deviations

Centralized control may lack reliability and flexibility needed for localized issues

Integrating decentralized control with centralized one offer improved localized decision-making, leading to better reliability while maintain enhanced voltage regulation

Centralized control is effective in achieving voltage regulation

Grid imbalance

Optimal network reconfiguration using advanced optimization techniques reduce power losses and voltage imbalance

DG units’ integration cause further reduction in losses and imbalance

Despite feeder reconfiguration techniques can help alleviate system-level imbalance, they are generally less effective in addressing significant phase imbalance at the feeder level

Implementing phase balancing either via phase swapping or by redistributing loads among the different phases to solve phase imbalance problems

Passive and active compensation can solve imbalance conditions

Despite, its cost-effectiveness, passive compensators limitedly solve grid imbalance

Active compensators as DVRs & UPQCs, solve imbalance yet at more cost and complexity, thus cost-effectiveness enhancements are required

BESS compensates for negative and zero-sequence currents

Limitations regarding BESS: cost, lifetime and deployment

Advancements in BESS to reduce their cost and degradation are required

Grid stability and reliability

Smart charging technologies and grid control as well as communication protocols enhance the automation and self-healing capabilities of the network, thus enhancing grid stability

These schemes need significant infrastructural investments

Reliance on communication makes it vulnerable to failures in coordination and possible risks of cyber-attacks

Upgrade charging infrastructure to house these technologies

Apply security protocols to protect data integrity and privacy

Power electronic (PE) topologies and FACTS can significantly improve grid transient stability and reduce errors when optimally tuned as well as improve grid balancing conditions

Despite PE advancements, still operational limitation, tuning requirements and complexity challenges exist, particularly with real-time stability control when integrating RES with EVs

Complex coordinated control and precise tuning actions among various controllable converters and FACTS are needed for effective operation and to maintain optimal voltage profiles and system stability

Harmonics

Hardware solutions as Filters and Power line conditioners can significantly improve voltage quality and mitigate current harmonics

Additionally, integration of PV inverters and optimization techniques can realize reasonable THD reductions

Hardware solutions and PV inverters require high initial investment and increase system size, cost and implementation complexity

Oppositely, software solutions increase control complexity

Although implementing harmonic mitigation techniques can add to system complexity, their ability to address power quality issues makes them a necessary component of the smart grid

EV high penetration and overloading conditions

EV high penetration in grid increases peak load capacity and result in overloading conditions

EVs penetration is limited by its driving-range where EV battery system is the most crucial device

Peak power capacity and overloading impose stresses on infrastructure causing devices accelerated degradation

Need for further development of EV charging infrastructure

EV battery systems face cost and degradation challenges

Smart and Coordinated EV charging strategies is crucial for reducing peak loads, minimizing power losses, and maintaining voltage stability

Upgrading infrastructure and equipment is important with high EV penetration

Optimized charging scheduling make the battery last longer for a regular EV run, reduce its degradation and make system more economical

V2G technology

Benefits of V2G Technology

Virtual power plants (VPP)

Frequency and voltage regulation,

Spinning reserves

Peak Shaving

Increasing grid resilience and reliability

Alleviating congestion

Renewable energy use

Barriers of V2G Technology

EV batteries production, handling and disposal

EV batteries charge/discharge scheme

EV batteries charger topology

EV Charging infrastructure

System-services offered by EVs may affect the distribution system at which they are connected

EV batteries deployment must be precisely planned and improvements in battery technology should be expanded to become more safe, clean, reliable and efficient

Optimized charging scheduling and coordination

Develop robust and high-efficiency battery charger topologies

Upgrading and expanding charging infrastructure and equipment

Coordination between TSO and DSO is needed to guarantee reliable and cost-effective services

Communication system

Successful implementation of V2G requires a reliable, real-time communication system between control centers, aggregators and EVs to secure information transfer

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system should be widely adopted for its benefits

Roaming protocols assure connectivity between charging networks and service providers

V2G communication demands fast authentication and encryption/decryption

V2G communication systems may face limitations against cyber penetration and threats with blockchain, AI, and IoT

Market remains challenged with various incompatible roaming protocols, hindering widespread adoption of EVs

To prevent cyber security concerns, a mutual, reciprocal authentication technique can be developed

EVs and aggregators can be designed with unique identification secret keys to filter out any malicious data flow across the network and ensure confidentiality of user information and charging /discharging routine, etc

Increasing effort of policymakers and regulators to adopt the use of open protocols and standards