Power & Energy Society Webinar | EV Charging Forecasting To Minimise Impacts On The Grid by Prof Sonia Leva, Politecnico di Milano

Join us on April 22nd to celebrate PES Day 2024, dedicated to Empowering Electric Mobility Innovation! The UK & Ireland PES Chapter and Women in Power are honoured to host a free webinar presented by Prof Sonia Leva from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Prof Leva will share some of her research group’s recent advances on electric vehicle charging forecasting, relying on statistical and machine learning methods.

Abstract

The fast growth of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is likely necessary to meet decarbonisation goals in most countries. High charging power peaks and large overall energy needs can significantly increase carbon emissions and strain electric grids. Instead of network upgrading, with the costs borne by consumers, we can better utilise the existing infrastructure with optimal charging management aided by forecasting, as well as thoughtful planning of new charging stations. However, transportation predictability and user requirements can vary considerably. Certain fleets may be quite predictable but have strict recharging constraints. Residential EV charging, on the other hand, can be quite stochastic but also tolerant to scheduled recharging.

Combining statistical tools, such as Monte Carlo and Bayesian methods, with modern machine learning, such as Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Networks, can help facing these challenges and result in flexible and accurate EV power forecasts. In addition, an EV charging station aggregated demand profile can be disaggregated into the estimated charging session profiles to detect patterns at the vehicle- or user-level.

About the Speaker

Prof Sonia Leva received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees, both in Electrical Engineering, from the Faculty of Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Since 2016, she is a full Professor in “Elettrotecnica” (Electrical Engineering-Circuit Theory) at the Department of Energy, where she is also the Deputy Director.

The research group of Prof Sonia Leva focuses on the following topics:

• Multi-good Microgrid analysis, control and optimization.
• Models and analysis of devices for the production, management and monitoring of generation systems based on renewable sources.
• Photovoltaic, wind systems, load and EV power forecasting.

Prof Leva is the author of two patents and more than 300 papers published in international journals or presented in international conferences. She has obtained several prizes and awards for her research activity and has given invited lectures in various European, Asian and American countries.

Sonia Leva is also Editor and Associate Editor of several international journals. She is coordinating a research group in the field of photovoltaic systems and microgrids, including PhD students and postgraduate grant holders, and acts as the head of the SolarTechLab and Multi-good Microgrid lab in the Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano (www.solartech.polimi.it, www.mg2lab.polimi.it).