A Feasibility Study for the Transition to Electric Mobility in the Island of Favignana

Abstract

The energy transition and climate neutrality are a short time scenario as climate concerns are rising fast. Small islands are natural microgrids in which the energy transition is subjected to economic and regulatory constraints and highly challenged by technical issues. As a first step, the Mediterranean island of Favignana has been considered in this study, to assess how electric mobility could impact the power system. According to the plans from the local decision makers, the island is moving towards a full public electric mobility in the near term, also due to the participation in the BloRin project. For this reason, a feasibility study about the technical and environmental impact of electric mobility is highly needed. What appears is that the network is ready for such a transition even if carried out in massive terms, while the current electric mix makes the shift to electric mobility more polluting. Therefore, the assessment of the environmental impact, quantified comparing the emissions of the current scenario with those of a future condition with a 20% penetration of EVs on the island, highlights the need of a simultaneous shift to zero emission power production. The simulations are carried out using the NEPLAN software and considering various operating scenarios. In most cases, the substations are charged two times the current power flows, but never going beyond the rated capacity.