Harmonic distortion assessment of EV charging penetration and superconducting magnetic energy storage integration in a 400 V distribution network: EMT simulation based on a Universiti Putra Malaysia campus feeder

This paper presents a detailed harmonic distortion analysis of electric vehicle (EV) charger deployment within a real 400 V low-voltage (LV) distribution network at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), conducted in alignment with national targets under Malaysia’s Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint (LCMB). A hybrid EV modelling framework is proposed that integrates conventional P + jQ load characteristics with externally injected harmonic currents derived from empirically validated spectra for 22 kW AC and 70 kW DC fast chargers. Five scenarios are modelled, including a baseline with two AC chargers and progressively intensified cases involving up to 16 DC chargers. To assess harmonic mitigation, a 0.15 MJ superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) unit is also integrated into selected cases. Results indicate that current total demand distortion (TDD) increasing from 0.42% in the baseline to 7.59% in the high-load mixed scenario, with voltage total harmonic distortion (THD) peaking at 7.87%. SMES implementation reduces TDD by up to 3.43% and THD by 3.56%, demonstrating modest passive damping effects. The modelling approach enables accurate, scalable simulation of harmonic behavior in EV-dense grids with low computational cost. The study’s novelty lies in its harmonically calibrated yet simplified EV representation and its application to a real distribution feeder, providing practical insights for power quality planning in emerging EV infrastructures.

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