Abstract:
Electric vehicles (EVs) and smart buildings (SBs) are popular concepts of modern
societies which aim at promoting public welfare and a green environment. In this work,
we present smart charging strategies for EVs parked in an SB to minimize the daily
energy cost of the SB. The SB is modeled with a hybrid energy system (HES) which
utilizes electricity and gas energy to fulfill the requirements of electrical and thermal
loads. The components of the SB such as EVs, renewable energy resources, and fuel
cells are mathematically modeled, and their physical constraints are defined. An
optimization model for minimization of the energy cost of the SB is developed which
implements smart EV charging strategies. Four EV charging strategies, ranging from
simple uncontrolled and unscheduled charging to schedulable adaptive smart charging,
are presented for the sake of discussion and comparison. The results reveal that
scheduling of EV charging is beneficial in general; and optimal results for the consumer
and the utility are realized when flexible charging, in terms of charging current and
charging time, is deployed. This research work also highlights some future research
avenues in this interesting area.
