Optimal PHEV charging in coordination with distributed generation operation in distribution systems

Increase in energy demand is one of the major challenges that utilities are faced with, which results in increase in environmental pollution and global warming. The transport sector has a significant share in the energy demand as well as environmental pollution. In Canada, almost 35% of the total energy demand is from the transport sector and it is the second largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The government of Ontario, Canada, has aimed to move toward a green energy economy, aimed towards increased penetration of renewable energy sources and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) technology. In this paper, an optimal power flow (OPF) based optimization framework considering two different objectives, minimizing feeder losses and PHEV charging cost, are presented to understand the impact of PHEV charging on distribution networks. Three different charging periods are considered and the impact of the Ontario Time-of-Use (TOU) tariff on PHEV charging schedules is examined. The impact of PHEV charging on distribution systems in the presence of renewable energy sources is also discussed.