Farhan H. Malik

Agent based bidding architecture in electricity markets for EVs as V2G and G2V

Due to the expected high penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources in power grid, such as solar and wind, the issue of matching demand and supply would become more critical. In order to address the issue, this paper investigates the potential of Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the short term power imbalances in smart grid. This paper proposes a simple bidding algorithm for energy market for EVs participation in V2G and G2V. The key finding is the initial cost of the EV battery which could make EV as a market player for maintaining short term balances.

Analysis of power network loading due to fast charging of Electric Vehicles on highways

Limited range of Electric Vehicles (EV) battery in terms of number of miles per recharge, requires EV to recharge the battery at least once during the long trip. However, long charging durations are not acceptable in these cases, therefore fast charging of EV is needed. Fast charging of EV needs more charging power for relatively shorter period of time, which gives rise to overloading of the power network due to simultaneous charging of multiple EVs at the fast charging stations. This paper studies the power network requirements to meet the EV fast charging needs on highways. Different parameters are considered in the study, for instance, arrival order of EVs at the charging stations, number of charging slots per charging station, power rating of installed chargers, distance between charging stations, state of charge (SoC) of EVs arriving for charging, battery capacities, waiting time at charging stations and the duration of charging. Various scenarios are simulated using Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS) to see the impact of fast charging on the power network loading. The key finding is the peak load on individual fast charging stations with respect to different penetration levels of EVs on the road. A real highway case in Finland is considered in this study to show the rationality of the results.

Microcontroller Based Single Axis Intelligent Control Sun Tracker for Parabolic Trough Collectors

Due to the complex design and high costs of production, solar thermal systems have fallen behind in the world of alternative energy systems. Different mechanisms are applied to increase the efficiency of the solar collectors and to reduce the cost. Solar tracking system is the most appropriate technology to increase the efficiency of solar collectors as well as solar power plants by tracking the sun timely. In order to maximize the efficiency of collectors, one needs to keep the reflecting surface of parabolic trough collectors perpendicular to the sun rays. For this purpose microcontroller based real time sun tracker is designed which is controlled by an intelligent algorithm using shadow technique. The aim of the research project is to test the solar-to-thermal energy efficiency by tracking parabolic trough collector (PTC). The energy efficiency is determined by measuring the temperature rise of working fluid as it flows through the receiver of the collector when it is properly focused. The design tracker is also simulated to check its accuracy. The main purpose to design this embedded system is to increase the efficiency and reliability of solar plants by reducing size, complexity and cost of product.