Computing optimal solar penetration in the presence of plug-in electric vehicles

We have developed a model to identify optimal sizes of aggregate solar PV capacity in a region that maximizes the effective load carrying capacity (ELCC) of the grid in the presence of increasing number of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) participating in vehicle-to-grid operations. The model has been implemented using a simulation-based framework performing the following key steps: Compute optimal installed solar capacity without the presence of any PEVs; Compute optimal number of PEVs without the presence of any solar generation; Identify optimal installed solar capacity in the presence of PEVs We ran the model simulation using actual load and solar radiation data from New York City region over 4 years and observed that up to 1,130 MW of ELCC can be contributed by an optimal combination of solar generators and PEVs representing an economic benefit of 113 million per year. Corresponding CO 2 emission reductions are above 2,700 kiloton per year.