Distributed charging management of electric vehicles in smart microgrids

The uncoordinated integration of a great number of Electric Vehicles (EVs) possibly leads to undervoltages and overcurrents in a Distribution Network (DN). It may also increase the power losses in the DN, and in severe cases, it is probable that the DN collapses. Therefore, control and management systems are necessary for avoiding the negative consequences of EV charging. In addition, by the advent of bidirectional chargers and sophisticated EV Supply Equipment (EVSE), objectives beyond saving the DN from becoming upset can be defined for EVs as auxiliary services (also referred to as ancillary services). This chapter after addressing and comparing different methods for EV charging and discharging management, concludes that the distributed control mechanisms respond to the particular needs in Smart Microgrids (SMGs) as they make the systems largely-scalable and plug-&-playable, while at low computational and communication costs. Then, the specifications of EV batteries and chargers are presented. As modern communications are the backbone of SMGs, the communication-assisted distributed control system can be set up. Therefore, a wide range of auxiliary services are addressed in this chapter and distributed control systems based on the cooperative control are introduced to accomplish them. The control objectives in this chapter (i) facilitate the integration of variable renewable energies (VREs) to SMGs, (ii) respond to the technical challenges toward EV interconnection, and (iii) increase the EV owners’ economic benefits.