Search Results
Working Paper
Smooth Operator? Managing Electric Vehicle Integration in Constrained Distribution Networks
Electricity distribution network constraints may ultimately limit the pace of transportation electrification. This paper examines the underappreciated challenges that electric vehicle (EV) adoption poses for the distribution grid. While prior research has focused on bulk power and private service upgrades, we emphasize how local distribution capacity is strained by reduced load diversity at small aggregations. We highlight two alternatives to costly infrastructure expansion: (1) demand-based tariffs that allocate scarce distribution capacity more efficiently, and (2) managed charging programs ...
Working Paper
Processing Power: The Effect of Data Centers on Wholesale Electricity Markets
Artificial-intelligence-driven data centers are reversing two decades of flat U.S. electricity demand and have generated questions about how this growth will impact electricity prices. We quantify this effect using an hourly, unit-level least-cost dispatch model covering wholesale electricity markets in the continental United States. We find that existing data centers have already increased wholesale prices by 3 to 5% on average nationwide, with substantially larger effects in regions hosting major data center corridors. Extending the model through 2028, we show that if proposed construction ...