Electric Vehicle Markov-Based Adequacy Modeling for Electric Microgrids

Microgrids (MGs) offer a new paradigm for the operation of electricity networks, allowing end users to significantly improve the power quality and, more importantly, reliability of their power supply systems. While it is clear that MGs offer a significant advantage by providing electricity to customers who would otherwise be disconnected during outages, there are numerous issues with the safe, secure, and efficient operation of MGs, the most basic being integrated management and coordinated control of all resources in grid-connected and off-grid modes. A valuable component that can provide new opportunities for increased reliability of the system and reduced vulnerability to faults is the electric vehicle (EV). One of the major benefits of utilizing EV energy storage is the mobility feature of EVs, which can add great value to the restoration of the power distribution system. The main aim of this work is to understand and model how EV batteries can be used as an intelligent energy reservoir, utilizing both controllable loads (home-to-vehicle and grid-to-vehicle) and controllable energy storage (vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid). This requires modeling the stochastic behavior of EV driving and charging/discharging as well as quantifying the impact of utilizing EV energy storage to restore service to customers. This paper proposes an EV Markov adequacy model that evaluates the reliability of an MG distribution system utilizing EVs and investigates EV mobility and available capacity modeling and EV system adequacy analysis, including the effects on the system reliability of the EV capacity, driving behavior, recharging mode, and EV penetration.