Gridable (Plug-in) Vehicles – Smart Grid Integration

Ahmed Y. Saber and Ganesh Kumar Venayagamoorthy

Real-Time Power and Intelligent Systems Laboratory
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409, USA
Sponsored by the US NSF EFRI #0836017

Smart grid mainly consists of conventional and renewable sources generations including wind, solar, gridable vehicles (GVs), and smart devices. Bi-directional information and power flow capabilities for better and efficient utilization, and control of its components/modules are required. GVs are used as loads, sources and storages in smart grid for the maximum utilization of renewable sources to reduce cost and emission from power system and transportation sector. In present power system, there is not bulk storage.  GVs are smart grid components and can operate in two modes: grid-to-vehicle (G2V, loads and storage), and vehicle-to-grid (V2G, sources). V2G technology allows vehicles to supply stored energy from their batteries, among others, to the grid. Next generation plug-in vehicles which include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) with vehicle-to-grid capability, is referred to as gridable vehicles (GVs). ‘SmartParks with GVs’ are virtual power plants made of several small portable power plants (vehicles). SmartParks have the potential to enhance grid security and reliability.

If GVs are charged and discharged from/to the grid randomly, peak load will be high; current distribution transformers will be overloaded/over-heated; and it is hard to handle the system by the existing 0-way or 1-way meters and so on. Besides, presence of sufficient wind, solar insolation and GVs are uncertain, and they are not directly dispatchable. Controllability of GVs is also an important issue in smart grid. Thus real-time pricing, 2-way meters, on-board communication in GVs, dynamic load leveling, dynamic schedule, decision, operation and control considering uncertainties, etc. are important in this regard. This research makes a bridge between power system and transportation sector for the sustainable power systems and transportation sector.

References

  • A. Y. Saber and G. K. Venayagamoorthy, “Intelligent unit commitment with vehicle-to-grid – A cost-emission optimization,” Journal of Power Sources, vol. 195, no. 3, pp. 898-911, Feb 2010.
  • A. Y. Saber and G. K. Venayagamoorthy, “Plug-in vehicles and renewable energy sources for cost and emission reductions,” IEEE Transaction on Industrial Electronics, to appear.
  • A. Y. Saber and G. K. Venayagamoorthy, “Efficient utilization of renewable energy sources by gridable vehicles in cyber-physical energy systems,” IEEE Systems Journal, to appear.
  • A. Y. Saber and G. K. Venayagamoorthy, “One million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015,” 12th International IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, St. Louis, MO, USA, Oct  4 – 7, 2009.