Optimization for Electric Vehicle Charging Station using Homer Grid

Abstract

Renewable energy systems are becoming increasingly popular as individuals shift away from non-conventional sources of energy. The integration of these renewable energy sources has led to the development of different configurations of microgrids. A Microgrid system ensures a cost-effective and energy-efficient solution. Further, the integration, of a large number of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in microgrid has resulted in auxiliary sources of power. The integration of a large number of EVs in the microgrid would require an optimized and coordinated charging system. This paper design different microgrid configurations using Homer Grid software. The configurations are made with different renewable energy sources, tariff schemes and equipment manufacturers. The designed systems are further optimized to find the best performing one in each scenario. A comparative analysis is performed between the different systems with regards to carbon emissions, cost savings and annual energy charges, amongst other parameters.