US electric vehicle (EV) adoption is surging, with no signs of slowing down. One major concern for utilities like Duke Energy is the health and performance of individual distribution transformers, given that every five additional EVs are equivalent to one net new utility customer. The impacts of increased demand and evolving load patterns can accelerate the aging and failure of transformers.

To address these challenges, Duke Energy’s Emerging Technology Office initiated the Neighborhood of Shared Charging (NOSC) Project. This project aims to understand the impact of simultaneous EV charging on distribution transformers and develop solutions for mitigating any issues. The project’s testbed includes a transformer, a range of smart and non-smart electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) from multiple vendors, as well as controlled and uncontrolled loads to emulate various operating scenarios. Additionally, meters and sensors were installed to achieve the highest level of observability. Out of the project came a distributed intelligence proof of concept that involves real-time metering, grid edge integration with support for various protocols (e.g., Modbus, DNP3, OCPP), and autonomous, low latency load balancing with EVSEs individually. All these features work together to efficiently manage electrical loads and address the challenges of increased EV adoption on the power grid.

This session will provide an in-depth examination of the NOSC project: the testbed design, technological decisions, encountered issues and their resolutions, lessons learned, and next steps. Through the discussion of specific distributed smart charge management use cases, we aim to identify parallels with other applications within the industry.