Energy Managment of Photovoltaic Charging Station (PV-CS) For Green University Campus Transportation

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) have been recognised as the ideal solution for lowering the CO2 emissions in the transport sector and helping to achieve a sustainable future. When BEV technology is leveraged with a solar energy source such as a Photovoltaic Charging Station (PV-CS), the CO2 saving potential is extended to both generation and consumption points. Due to the intermittent nature of our solar resource, once the PV-CS is combined with a storage unit, energy production is achieved without risking the disruption to power supply reliability and quality. Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) has recognised the viability of this dual design solution, with its recent deployment of a 10.5 kWp PV-CS. The charging point has the potential to accommodate the existing charge of two campus Light weight Electric Vehicles (LEVs). Depending on the vehicles charge time, the demand can be accommodated through an individual or combination of the following options: direct solar, PV stored energy of BESS unit and the grid, while the surplus generation is used to charge the BESS or spilled into the grid. This paper presents the AC coupling configuration of grid tied (GT) and Battery Based (BB) inverters in the campus charging point. In order to prioritise the optimal energy flow of the PV-CS, an Energy Manager (EM) device along with Battery Energy Manager (BEM) has been incorporated. The EM controller is set with an objective to maximise self-consumption and further reduce the energy dependency on the grid. The preliminary results obtained from the online portal illustrates the relationship between the captured outputs of: PV generation, BESS charge / discharge, direct / total consumption, grid feed in and external grid supply, and further speculates the incorporated control strategy of EM and ancillary control components.