A Technical Review of Modeling Techniques for Urban Solar Mobility: Solar to Buildings, Vehicles, and Storage (S2BVS)

Abstract

The deployment of solar photovoltaics (PV) and electric vehicles (EVs) is continuously increasing during urban energy transition. With the increasing deployment of energy storage, the development of the energy sharing concept and the associated advanced controls, the conventional solar mobility model (i.e., solar-to-vehicles (S2V), using solar energy in a different location) and context are becoming less compatible and limited for future scenarios. For instance, energy sharing within a building cluster enables buildings to share surplus PV power generation with other buildings of insufficient PV power generation, thereby improving the overall PV power utilization and reducing the grid power dependence. However, such energy sharing techniques are not considered in the conventional solar mobility models, which limits the potential for performance improvements. Therefore, this study conducts a systematic review of solar mobility-related studies as well as the newly developed energy concepts and techniques. Based on the review, this study extends the conventional solar mobility scope from S2V to solar-to-buildings, vehicles and storage (S2BVS). A detailed modeling of each sub-system in the S2BVS model and related advanced controls are presented, and the research gaps that need future investigation for promoting solar mobility are identified. The aim is to provide an up-to-date review of the existing studies related to solar mobility to decision makers, so as to help enhance solar power utilization, reduce buildings’ and EVs’ dependence and impacts on the power grid, as well as carbon emissions.

A Rapid Review on Community Connected Microgrids

“…Moreover, a majority disregarded the quality and RoB of the examined reviews. Huang, Zhang [18] claimed to be a systematic review; however, it neither followed a literature strategy nor defined any exclusion criteria, and only partially discussed RoB assessment. Koirala, Koliou [19] performed a database search, but without explaining further steps of a systematic review.…”

“…Community energy storage (CES) was reviewed by [17], with a strong focus on technologies used for end-user applications, techno-economic analysis and socio-environmental assessments of CES; this paper also provided a viewpoint on CES from the utility network, policy and consumers perspectives. Huang, Zhang [18] reviewed solar mobility concepts and discussed the modelling of solar to building, vehicle and storage (S2BVS). Koirala, Koliou [19] presented the concept of integrated community energy systems (ICESs) and studied issues of ICES from technical, socio-economic, environmental and institutional perspectives.…”

“…These benefits bring about reliable and high-quality DC power output and allow a larger stretch to the network for the same capacity of load. Generally, DC/AC conversion includes electrical losses [14], while many modern sources and loads such as PV panels, batteries, compressors, fans, servers and EVs operate on DC power; hence, few studies [14,18] have recommended the utilisation of DC microgrids instead of AC microgrids.…”

An Intelligent Approach to Active and Reactive Power Control in a Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic System

“…Varma et al [19] have proposed a solar photovoltaic static compensator for improving the power transfer capabilities of the system to transmit real power to utilities with an existing converter system. Humid et al [20] proposed a strategy that depends on a power conditioning unit located parallel to the plant that works in feed-forward mode to compensate the distorted current photovoltaic output to decrease the harmonic of current from a PV system. Kannan et al [21] presented icos Φ control technique for a distribution static compensator that gives uninterrupted harmonic degradation, compensates re-active power and compensates the loads along with comparing performances of fuzzy-logic controllers to ordinary proportional integral (PI) controllers.…”

Agent Based Modelling of a Local Energy Market: A Study of the Economic Interactions between Autonomous PV Owners within a Micro-Grid

“…Numerous studies have tackled the economic feasibility of the urban PV systems in the past few years, highlighting different aspects in the results [18]. In particular, a number of studies have optimized the capacity and positions of PV systems according to their lifetime economic performance in self-consumption within the parent building or district (as briefly explained in Section 2.4) [19].…”