Integrating Electrified Fleets in MicroGrids for Resiliency in Disadvantaged Communities
Environmental and socioeconomic stressors act cumulatively to contribute to persistent economic and health disparities in minority and low and middle income (LMI) populations that experience disproportionate environmental risks and harms. Our goal is to electrify fleets of buses and to install microgrid charging stations within low and moderate (LMI) regions in the City of Schenectady to provide zero emission transportation and clean reliable power for these communities to improve living conditions. These communities will benefit greatly from new infrastructure that includes EV school and transit buses, clean microgrids with solar, energy storage, and with EV fleets as mobile virtual power sources. Our system integrates extra fast bi-directional DC chargers and load sources, power electronics, intelligent management systems and a communication/control applicatin programming interface (API) that collectively provide significant efficiencies and cost benefits. The system enables storing energy when there is surplus (Grid-To-Vehicle) and supplying energy back to the grid (Vehicle-To-Grid) when there is demand for it.
Our goal is to electrify bus fleets in the City of Schenectady and deploy a fully integrated resilient microgrid, with multiple aggregated virtual power sources, load sources including electric buses, power electronics, intelligent storage management systems and a standard API that serves as a charging and exporting power solution. The system will help in energy management by storing energy when there is surplus (Grid-To-Vehicle) and supplying energy back to the grid or facility (Vehicle-To-Grid) when there is demand for it. Proper infrastructure and control systems will be used for this concept to implement mobile aggregated virtual power sources. Architectures for bi-directional charging will be implemented and include DC extra fast charging for interfacing the EVs to enable effective V2G-G2V power transfer. Results will show autonomous, active power regulation of the microgrid using sophisticated machine learning communications and control of the electrified vehicles and generation sources through G2V-V2G modes of operation. The charging station design will ensure minimal harmonic distortion of grid injected current and the controller will provide good dynamic performance in terms of DC bus voltage stability.
Power source flexibility and dual use capability with vehicle exportable power from all-electric bus fleets will provide deployable mobile power that can supplement on-site generation systems at a low cost, with enhanced performance of a site's electric system. Significant benefits will be realized when combining multiple power sources within the microgrid environment with power electronics and bi-directional (Vehicle-to-Grid and Grid-to-Vehicle) extra-fast DC to DC chargers that include an energy storage system.