System design for a solar powered electric vehicle charging station for workplaces

This paper investigates the possibility of charging battery electric vehicles at workplace in Netherlands using solar energy. Data from the Dutch Meteorological Institute is used to determine the optimal orientation of PV panels for maximum energy yield in the Netherlands. The seasonal and diurnal variation in solar insolation is analyzed to determine the energy availability for EV charging and the necessity for grid connection. Due to relatively low solar insolation in Netherlands, it has been determined that the power rating of the PV array can be oversized by 30% with respect to power rating of the converter. Various dynamic EV charging profiles are compared with an aim to minimize the grid dependency and to maximize the usage of solar power to directly charge the EV. Two scenarios are considered - one where the EVs have to be charged only on weekdays and the second case where EV have to be charged all 7 days/week. A priority mechanism is proposed to facilitate the charging of multiple EV from a single EV-PV charger. The feasibility of integrating a local storage to the EV-PV charger to make it grid independent is evaluated. The optimal storage size that reduces the grid dependency by 25% is evaluated. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.