Optimizing Charging Schedules for Electric Bus Fleets Through Service-Centric Virtual Power Plant Operations

With the ongoing electrification of bus fleets in metropolitan areas appropriate charging strategies will play an increasingly important role for sector coupling solutions. With regards to the energy and transportation systems, this paper identifies the transactions of market entities involved in charging processes and defines respective function roles and responsibilities in joint market operations. Therefore, bus depot characteristics and processes are assessed and appropriate charging possibilities presented. A methodology for service-centric Virtual Power Plant operations is introduced that enables enhanced charging strategies. Here, a multi-period optimization model for the Virtual Power Plant operator is proposed allowing the integration of electric bus fleets as an active element in power plant portfolio operations. The solution approach is validated in numerical simulations under various testing conditions, showing the benefits of utilizing electric buses as mobile energy sources in power plant portfolio and power system operations.