Assessment of the Technical Impacts of Electric Vehicle Penetration in Distribution Networks: A Focus on System Management Strategies Integrating Sustainable Local Energy Communities

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The aim of the article is to assess the impact of escalating electric vehicle strategies on low-voltage distribution networks based on sustainable local energy communities, revealing the need to move towards more predictive and proactive system management in electricity distribution. In order to further improve the article, the following suggestions are available:

1、The formatting of the whole article is basically consistent, but there are differences in paragraph spacing and font size in individual places, which the authors are advised to check.

2、In the title and comment sections of the figures and tables, try to be concise and avoid excessive text descriptions, and also make sure that all figures and tables are clearly numbered and cited.

3、The article clearly defines the background and motivation of the study and emphasizes the importance of electric vehicles (EVs) and local energy communities (LECs) in sustainable energy systems. It is suggested to add some review of existing literature in the introduction section to better reflect the innovation and importance of this study.

4、For the possible uncertainties of the article, a scenario-based stochastic optimization method can be considered to deal with them, and it is hoped that the authors can add this challenge to their future research, which can be referred to DOI:10.17775/CSEEJPES.2021.04510 and DOI: org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123275.

5、To support demand response and peak-valley balancing, thermal dynamic modeling and thermal balance constraint methods can be considered for studying the interaction mechanisms between EVs and other distributed resources in local source-load-storage systems and analyzing their impacts on grid frequency stability and economics, and it is hoped that the authors can add this challenge to their future research, which can be referred to DOI: 10.1109/ TCE.2024.3412803 and https://doi.org/10.3390/su16124965.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required

Author Response

 

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Detailed work on the effect of EV penetration has been shown in this study.

1. Figures show errors in the text. Please fix it. 

2. Line 233 is not clear. Location of PV installation highlight is not known. Is it the blue ones? If so please mention it.

3. Details are not clear on section 2.1.2. EV penetration is shown from 0% to 60%. Details are not provided on how many vehicles were considered or how much power is being consumed at one time in terms of kW. Tool is specified but details are not provided. Details on the tool is required to validate that the model is accurate. 

4. How was the traffic light classification decided? Why was the V value chosen at 93% for red and so on for yellow ad green?

5. EV Charging management is able to reduce instabilities as expected compared to Unmanaged charging. Technique was used for this EV charging managements has to be detailed.

 Overall good paper and interesting topic to be studied. 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing is needed

Author Response

Attachement

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article “Assessment of Technical Impacts of Electric Vehicle Penetration in Distribution Networks: A Focus on System Management Strategies Integrating Sustainable Local Energy Communities” written by Samuel Borroy Vicente et al. presents the impact of increasing Electric Vehicle (EV) penetration on sustainable distribution networks, with a specific focus on Local Energy Communities (LECs) supported by Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). The research evaluates various EV integration levels across different scenarios that incorporate diverse charging strategies and system management approaches. The primary aim is to analyze the effects of these variables on network stability indicators. The subject of this manuscript is highly interesting and aligns well with the Journal's profile. The development of hybrid vehicles is highly relevant due to the significant impact traditional, fossil fuel-based transportation has on global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing CO₂ emissions is crucial for mitigating climate change, which is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. However, the charging process of EV vehicles has a significant impact on stability of power grid. This problem is widely discussed in the literature. Nevertheless the mentioned manuscript described a new approach to that issue, which may be classified as a novelty. Furthermore the presented assumptions and calculations were carried out correctly and does not raise any objections from the reviewer, which denote the scientific value of the manuscript. The authors' division of the work into sections is clear and aids in understanding the technical impacts of electric vehicle penetration in distribution networks. The paper is generally well-written and enjoyable to read, but there are two issues that need to be addressed before it can be published in Sustainability:

1.     There were some abnormalities with references e.g. in line  214 and 234

2.     The description of Fig. 1 should be rewritten, because it is not enough informative for the reader

Author Response

Attachement

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf