A DC-bus Signalling-Based Control of EVCS to Maximize Self-Consumption of PV Production in a Tertiary Building

This paper presents a DC-bus signaling (DBS) control method for a smart grid with a PV plant and multiple electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS). The proposed DBS method aims to maximize self-consumption and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) intensity of the EVCS.The proposed DBS system uses the DC bus voltage as a signal to modulate the EVs charging power, to adapt to PV production in real-time. Therefore, the need for a communication infrastructure is minimized, thus increasing the system’s robustness. Moreover, a minimal charging power is set to still be able to provide a charging service in the case of a low PV production.Real-world data from the smart grid demonstrator at the Catholic University of Lille in northern France are used for PV production and EV consumption. The system is modelled using MATLAB/Simulink and simulated to be compared with actual data from a chosen day. The simulations results show that the DBS control system allows an increase in the self-consumption and lower GHG emissions, while keeping a satisfactory charging service.