Case Study: Electricity Supply Board reduces grid congestion and peak demand with IBM Intelligent Electric Vehicle Enablement Platform

Optimization algorithms minimize the impact of electric vehicle charging on grid congestion

The Electricity Supply Board (ESB), a major Irish energy utility, needed to manage the potential grid strain caused by its large-scale electric vehicle (EV) program while also giving customers a way to optimize their power usage based on pricing. To address this challenge, they partnered with IBM to implement the IBM Intelligent Electric Vehicle Enablement Platform and leverage IBM's business consulting services.

IBM's solution used optimization algorithms to intelligently allocate EV charging capacity, minimizing grid load without affecting customer convenience. The smart metering system provided customers with near-real-time pricing data, empowering them to shift usage to off-peak times. This smarter approach reduced peak-hour electricity consumption by nearly 9% in participating households and is expected to save EUR200 million annually in penalties by improving grid reliability and avoiding costly infrastructure upgrades.

Electricity Supply Board

Jerry O’Sullivan

Managing Director