Residential usage profile optimization and experimental implementation of the retired HEV battery with a hybrid microgrid testbed

This paper provides a comprehensive study on the deployment of the retired Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) battery in residential applications. First, the paper proposes an algorithm for determining the optimal usage profile of the battery pack for a residential house equipped with a roof-top PV system. The proposed algorithm, which is derived from the optimal control theory, minimizes a cost function based on the yearly operation cost of the system. The optimal size of the PV system can also be obtained from this algorithm. Afterward, a flexible experimental platform for the study on the integration of the battery pack in the residential house is configured. The platform utilizes a hybrid Microgrid testbed, which combines Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) simulation of electric power network with real hardware. Design considerations are presented, and extensive experiments are conducted to demonstrate the functionality of the platform.