Integration and optimization of plug-in vehicle charging and wind power scheduling on the electric grid

To cut GHG emissions and fight climate change, wind generation on the power grid and automobiles with electrified powertrains are expected to be prevalent in the near future. In addition, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) will bridge the power utility and transportation system, creating new opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of both systems. For example, the battery charging of PEVs can be controlled to absorb fluctuations in renewable generation, leading to the synergy that can better utilize renewable generation and address PEV charging demand. In this talk, control and optimization schemes will be presented to realize such a synergy. In terms of PEV charging, a control algorithm is developed to address the vehicle-level objective (PEV charging) and the grid-level objective (avoiding transmission congestion) simultaneously. In terms of mitigating wind power intermittency, controls and capacity sizing of energy storage devices are investigated to provide reserves for wind generation. To integrate PEV charging and wind generation, a hierarchical control structure is proposed to fuse the control algorithms previously developed, in which a scheduling optimization problem is formulated and solved to seamlessly integrate the PEV charging control and wind power scheduling. Furthermore, a carbon disincentive policy is investigated as a more aggressive means to cut GHG emissions from electricity generation and the life cycle cost analysis is conducted to access the competitiveness of wind power to other non-renewable generating technologies.
Chiao-Ting Li received her Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan in 2013. Her research interest is in the area of dynamics and control, in particular, their applications in automotive and energy systems. She has worked on projects for split hybrid vehicle configuration design, plug-in vehicle charging control, and vehicle-grid integration. Her paper on battery charging control for wind intermittency mitigation won the best paper in section in the American Control Conference (ACC) in 2013, and her other paper on split hybrid vehicle design was selected as the semi-plenary presentation in the Dynamic Systems and Control Conference (DSCC) in 2012. She was a solar car member in the U-M Solar Car Team, working on race strategy optimization for the 2008 American Solar Challenge, in which the team won the championship.