Optimal Design of Grid-Connected PEV Charging Systems With Integrated Distributed Resources

The penetration of plug-in electric vehicles and renewable distributed generation is expected to increase over the next few decades. Large scale unregulated deployment of either technology can have a detrimental impact on the electric grid. However, appropriate pairing of these technologies along with some storage could mitigate their individual negative impacts. This paper presents a framework and an optimization methodology for designing grid-connected systems that integrate plug-in electric vehicle chargers, distributed generation and storage. To demonstrate its usefulness, this methodology is applied to the design of optimal architectures for a residential charging case. It is shown that, given current costs, maximizing grid power usage minimizes system lifecycle cost. However, depending upon the location´s solar irradiance patterns, architectures with solar photovoltaic generation can be more cost effective than architectures without. Additionally, Li-ion storage technology and micro wind turbines are not yet cost effective when compared to alternative solutions.