Smart utilization of renewable energy sources in a microgrid system integrated with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Summary Mass roll-out of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and significant penetration of renewable energy sources in distribution system play a major role in delivering low carbon environment. However, placing and utilizing these units randomly result in overloading, increased power loss, and reduced voltage profile. This paper responds to these technical challenges by using a strategic placement method for locating the distributed generation (DG) and the charging station (CS) of PHEVs in a multi-zone distribution system. For simultaneously scheduling of these units in each zone, the smart energy management framework is proposed in this paper. Apart from usual energy management constraints, this paper also incorporates the real-time constraints involving the capacity of PHEV batteries, the mobility pattern, and the power level of the charging infrastructure. The simulation studies are carried out for each hour of a day. To cope with this time constraint execution, particle swarm optimization algorithm-based approach is used. The proposed framework is tested in IEEE 33 and IEEE 69 bus radial distribution system. The obtained results imply that the presented energy management framework provides maximum profits for the vehicle owner, and meanwhile it fulfills preferences of the user in each zone simultaneously.