Optimal operation of aggregated electric vehicle charging stations coupled with energy storage

Charging stations are the basic infrastructure for accommodating the energy needs of electric vehicles (EVs). Companies are expected to invest in these charging stations by installing them at locations with a dense concentration of vehicles, such as parking places, commercial centres, and workplaces. In order for investors in EV charging stations to maximise their profits and mitigate the impact on the power grid, these stations would benefit from coupling with an energy storage system (ESS). ESS would be used to arbitrage energy and to balance out the time-variant and uncertain EV energy demand. This study proposes a framework to optimise the offering/bidding strategy of an ensemble of charging stations coupled with ESS in the day-ahead electricity market. The proposed framework accounts for degradation of the ESS, robust scheduling against price uncertainty, as well as stochastic energy demand from EVs. The results show the viability of the proposed framework in providing cost savings to an ensemble of EV charging stations.