skip to main content


Title: PV to Vehicle, PV to Grid, Vehicle to Grid, and Grid to Vehicle Micro Grid System Using Level Three Charging Station
This paper makes use of electric vehicles (EVs) that are simultaneously connected to the Photovoltaic Cells (PV) and the power grid. In micro-grids, batteries of the electric vehicles (EVs) used as a source of power to feed the power grid in the peak demands of electricity. EVs can help regulation of the power grid by storing excess solar energy and returning it to the grid during high demand hours. This paper proposes a new architecture of micro-grids by using a rooftop solar system, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), grid connected inverters, a boost converter, a bidirectional half-bridge converter, output filter, including L, LC, or LCL, and transformers. The main parts of this micro-grid are illustrated and modeled, as well as a simulation of their operation. In addition, simulation results explore the charging and discharging scenarios of the BEVs.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2115427
NSF-PAR ID:
10386667
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
IEEE
Date Published:
Journal Name:
2022 IEEE Green Technologies Conference (GreenTech)
Page Range / eLocation ID:
25 to 30
Format(s):
Medium: X
Location:
Houston, Texas
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract

    Solar power is mostly influenced by solar irradiation, weather conditions, solar array mismatches and partial shading conditions. Therefore, before installing solar arrays, it is necessary to simulate and determine the possible power generated. Maximum power point tracking is needed in order to make sure that, at any time, the maximum power will be extracted from the photovoltaic system. However, maximum power point tracking is not a suitable solution for mismatches and partial shading conditions. To overcome the drawbacks of maximum power point tracking due to mismatches and shadows, distributed maximum power point tracking is utilized in this paper. The solar farm can be distributed in different ways, including one DC–DC converter per group of modules or per module. In this paper, distributed maximum power point tracking per module is implemented, which has the highest efficiency. This technology is applied to electric vehicles (EVs) that can be charged with a Level 3 charging station in <1 hour. However, the problem is that charging an EV in <1 hour puts a lot of stress on the power grid, and there is not always enough peak power reserve in the existing power grid to charge EVs at that rate. Therefore, a Level 3 (fast DC) EV charging station using a solar farm by implementing distributed maximum power point tracking is utilized to address this issue. Finally, the simulation result is reported using MATLAB®, LTSPICE and the System Advisor Model. Simulation results show that the proposed 1-MW solar system will provide 5 MWh of power each day, which is enough to fully charge ~120 EVs each day. Additionally, the use of the proposed photovoltaic system benefits the environment by removing a huge amount of greenhouse gases and hazardous pollutants. For example, instead of supplying EVs with power from coal-fired power plants, 1989 pounds of CO2 will be eliminated from the air per hour.

     
    more » « less
  2. We develop hierarchical coordination frameworks to optimally manage active and reactive power dispatch of number of spatially distributed electric vehicles (EVs) incorporating distribution grid level constraints. The frameworks consist of detailed mathematical models, which can benefit the operation of both entities involved, i.e., the grid operations and EV charging. The first model comprises of a comprehensive optimal power flow model at the distribution grid level, while the second model represents detailed optimal EV charging with reactive power support to the grid. We demonstrate benefits of coordinated dispatch of active and reactive power from EVs using a 33-node distribution feeder with large number of EVs (more than 5,000). Case studies demonstrate that, in constrained distribution grids, coordinated charging reduces the average cost of EV charging if the charging takes place at non-unity power factor mode compared to unity power factor. Similarly, the results also demonstrate that distribution grids can accommodate charging of increased number of EVs if EV charging takes place at non-unity power factor mode compared to unity power factor. 
    more » « less
  3. As the number of electric vehicles (EVs) within society rapidly increase, the concept of maximizing its efficiency within the electric smart grid becomes crucial. This research presents the impacts of integrating EV charging infrastructures within a smart grid through a vehicle to grid (V2G) program. It also observes the circulation of electric charge within the system so that the electric grid does not become exhausted during peak hours. This paper will cover several different case studies and will analyze the best and worst scenarios for the power losses and voltage profiles in the power distribution system. Specifically, we seek to find the optimal location as well as the ideal number of EVs in the distribution system while minimizing its power losses and optimizing its voltage profile. Verification of the results are primarily conducted using GUIs created on MATLAB. These simulations aim to develop a better understanding of the potential impacts of electric vehicles in smart grids, such as power quality and monetary benefits for utility companies and electric vehicle users 
    more » « less
  4. Boosting critical infrastructures’ (CIs) preparedness to threats, including natural disasters and manmade attacks, is a global imperative. The intrinsic dependencies and interdependencies between CIs hinder their resiliency. Moreover, the evolution of CIs is, in many cases, en routè to tighten those interdependencies. The goal of this paper is to uncover and analyze the rising interdependency between the electric power grid, information and communication technology (ICT) networks, and transportation systems that are heavily reliant on electric-power drivetrains, collectively referred to hereafter as electro-mobility (e-mobility). E-mobility includes electric vehicles (EVs) and electric railway systems. A new influence graph-based model is introduced, as a promising approach to model operational interdependencies between CIs. Each of the links of the influence graph represents the probability of failure of the sink node following a failure of the source node. A futuristic scenario has been analyzed assuming increased dependency of the power grid on ICT for monitoring and control, and high penetration levels of EVs and distributed energy resources (DERs) in an urban region. Inspecting the influence graph shows that the impact of interdependency between the power grid, the ICT network, and the transportation network, for the case study analyzed in this paper, does not lead to failures during normal operation with proper design; however, it is severe during emergency conditions since it leads to failure propagation among the three CIs. This paper sets the stage for more research on this topic, and calls for more attention to interdependency analysis. 
    more » « less
  5. Photovoltaic (PV) power plants with grid-forming technology must withstand severe disturbances and remain operational. To address this challenge, this paper sets forth a grid-forming strategy for PV solar power plants so that they can ride through power system faults. This capability is accomplished by leveraging two-axis proportional-integral regulators with anti-windup functionality. This paper also demonstrates that fluctuations of solar irradiance can cause significant dc-link voltage variations and loss of synchronism of grid-forming PV plants. Hence, we develop an active dc-link protection method which depends on estimation in solar irradiance. The contributions of this paper are demonstrated via positive-sequence simulations of modified versions of the WSCC 9- and IEEE 39-bus grids. 
    more » « less