Optimal System Design for a Solar Powered EV Charging Station

Charging electric vehicles (EV) from photovoltaic (PV) panels provides a sustainable mode of transportation. In order to reduce the net costs of charging EV from PV and the grid, the PV generation and/or the EV charging can be controlled based on the energy prices in the grid. The traditional approach to designing the solar system for EV charging is to maximize the energy yield. In this paper, an alternate approach to PV system design is proposed by which the PV panels are orientated so as to maximize the PV revenue. This technique is compared with that of reducing the net costs by smart charging of the EV based on energy prices. Two case studies for Netherlands and Texas are done to compare the PV energy generated and the net cost of EV charging from PV based on the two techniques.