A KNOWLEDGE NOTE SERIES FOR THE ENERGY & EXTRACTIVES GLOBAL PRACTICESupported by2023/129DECEMBER 2023Capacity of Colombia’s power distribution networks to accommodate electric vehiclesClaudia Vasquez Suarez is a lead energy specialist in the Energy and Extractives Unit at the World Bank. AuthorsRoberto Estevez is an energy specialist in the same unit. The bottom line. Transport must be decarbonized if climate commitments are to be met. Colombia is a leader in the adoption of electric vehicles in Latin America. However, the growth of the EV market can create operational and planning challenges for the power grid. Fortunately, recent analyses show that Colombia’s distribution grids have the capacity to accommodate the increased power demand created by electric vehicles in the short and medium terms, paving the way for achievement of climate targets. The results of simulations suggest that network operators can plan effectively for the future by considering the growing penetration of EVs in the design of new grids.Can Colombia’s power distribution networks accommodate growing demand from electric vehicles? The country’s national planning department requested World Bank support to find out The World Bank has been providing technical advice and expertise to help Colombia and its National Planning Department advance the country’s energy transition. The objective of the technical assistance involves support for digitalizing and decentralizing the demand for electricity while also making demand more efficient. In the context of this effort, the National Planning Department assessed the capacity of the country’s distribution networks to meet the growing demand associated with electric mobility. The resulting report was completed in late 2022 (World Bank 2022).In the first phase of the evaluation, four scenarios were defined to project the growth of EVs in the country and the associated demand for electricity from the power grid. In the second part, with the support of four representative electric-ity network operators (NOs), a spatial and temporal model was developed to identify the demand increase on specific electrical circuits associated with growing EV penetration. Based on these projections, impact assessments were car-ried out to gauge the impact of demand for EV charging sys-tems on the selected power grids. Finally, recommendations were made to meet future needs for electrical infrastructure.The four EV penetration scenarios are described below and illustrated in figure 1.Arcenio Torres is general manager of USAENE, an energy consulting company in Bogota, Colombia.Public Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedCapacity of Colombia’s power distribution networks to accommodate electric vehicles2Scenario 266 is based on the COP21 emissions-reduction tar-get (266 million tons by 2030) as well as...
