Plug-In Vehicle to Home (V2H) duration and power output capability

Abstract

This work analyzes the capability for Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in Vehicle to Home (V2H) scenarios, for which the vehicle acts as a residential battery storage system and/or a backup generator during a grid outage or more frequent short duration distribution system fault. In this paper, we use residential energy data collected from a smart grid testbed in Austin, Texas with a custom PEV model to assess the performance (in terms of duration and power output) of a PEV used for backup power. Our results quantify the extent to which photovoltaic (PV) generation and the characteristics of a PEV (battery size, gasoline availability) affect the backup duration of a PEV based V2H system during an electric outage. We use the insight gained from our results to explore optimal engine-generator control for PV-enabled V2H, strategies to further increase backup duration, and non-continuous self-sustaining off-grid alternatives.