Optimal Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy for Energy Management in Microgrids

In the present paper a novel approach for determining the charging profile of Electric Vehicles (EVs) suitable for their integration into microgrids is presented. The main goal of the proposed control strategy is to define the optimal daily charging profile of each EV in order to increase microgrid autonomy. This goal is achieved by means of the optimal control theory, taking into account all system constraints, such as instantaneous energy productions and consumptions, rated power and capacity of EV batteries as well as their mobility habits and requirements. Thus, the microgrid energy systems considered in this paper are firstly presented and briefly analysed, together with their mathematical modelling. Subsequently, the optimal control problem is formulated, leading to the achievement of optimal charging/discharging strategies for each EV in order to optimize microgrid operations. The effectiveness of the proposed optimal EV control strategy is then verified through a simulation case study, which refers to a cluster of two microgrids, which are connected in unconventional manner by means of an EV, operating in Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) mode. The comparison with a dumb charging strategy is finally reported in order to highlight the worth of the proposed approach.