Energy management and voltage stabilization in an islanded microgrid through an electric vehicle charging station

High incursions of renewable energy sources (RESs) in microgrids have raised many voltage issues such as voltage fluctuations in the power system. These fluctuations can be controlled through power electronics (PE) interfaces with energy storage systems (ESSs). However, installation of conventional ESS is a costly affair. With recent developments in electric vehicles (EVs) technologies, EVs have gained the potential to replace the traditional storage devices. This paper proposes an islanded microgrid integrated with EVs to facilitate energy storage, as well as to provide voltage regulation support. A voltage controller based on active power/voltage, i.e., P/V droop characteristic has been modeled which regulates the voltage by injecting or drawing active power of the EVs charging station. The desired active power regulation is achieved through the controlled charging and discharging of EVs in order to cater microgrid's and EV's needs simultaneously. Further, a control strategy has been developed for distribution of power among each EV by considering their individual charging/discharging requests. The suggested control scheme has been simulated on a microgrid and it has been verified that the proposed controller enhances reliability and stability of the considered microgrid.